Contrary to DCC Bylaw 23 no camping restriction applied over summer
DCC’s delay in providing official information on freedom camping numbers (Which Is Available) appears to equate with what happened over LGOIMA requests lodged after the South Dunedin Flood of June 2015. Delay, derferment, and obfuscation occurred then as now. There is no reason to believe anything has changed internally, magnified by today’s ‘official response’.
[redacted screenshot – click to enlarge]
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DCC now has a laborious text response as first acknowledgement of the LGOIMA requests it receives. An associate has been working on improvements to the below on suggestion back to the system. The short information request is highlighted by whatifdunedin:
From: officialinformation @dcc.govt.nz
Sent: Monday, 13 March 2017 7:55 a.m.
To: Elizabeth Kerr
Subject: Confirmation of receipt of LGOIMA request – 577864
Dear Elizabeth
I am writing to acknowledge receipt of your official information request dated 13 Mar 2017 7:55am
We support public access to official information. Our obligation under the Local Government Official Information Act 1987 (the Act) is to provide you the information requested as soon as reasonably practicable unless there is a good reason for withholding it.
We will process information requests as below:
1. We will let you know as soon as we can (and in any case within 20 working days) whether your request will be granted or declined, and if the request is declined why we have declined it.
1. In some cases it may be necessary for our decision to be made after 20 working days. When this occurs we will advise you the anticipated delivery date together with the reason why it is necessary to extend that time within the 20 working days.
1. If your request is complex or requires a large amount of collation and research, we may contact you with a view to either refining your request or discussing the possibility of charging for aspects of your request in line with the DCC charging policy.
1. If we decide to release the information, we aim to provide it at the same time as we give our decision. If this is not possible we will provide the information as soon as reasonably practicable.
If you need to contact us about your request, please email officialinformation@dcc.govt.nz or call 03 477 4000. Please quote reference number: 577864
The timeliness of our decisions and the reasons for them are reviewable by the Office of the Ombudsman. You can view the Ombudsman’s guidelines for the processing of information requests at http://www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or by calling freephone: 0800 802 602.
Yours sincerely,
Official Information Request Service
Below are the details of the request
Your request:
New information request – Warrington Domain
I have been informed that DCC recently ran a survey of the freedom campers at Warrington Domain, asking (in no particular order here):
1. where they were from
2. their age
3. how much they were spending
4. what activities they were doing in Dunedin, and
5. what type of vehicle they were in.I’m told the survey ran for two weeks; and that it was conducted by Ashley Reid.
I request a full copy of the survey results (with names of campers redacted for privacy), to be received by email at earliest convenience.
I note hearings for the Proposed Reserves and Beaches Bylaw will be held this week. Prompt receipt of the survey information would be enabling. Thanks.
File attachment
No file uploaded
[ends]
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Points:
1. The Reserves and Beaches Bylaw review that had hearings this week did not include a review of freedom camping; freedom camping is specifically excluded from this bylaw review. The freedom camping bylaw review is heralded to take place in about a month’s time.
2. The point numbering error in the response of 13 March above is the DCC’s.
3. The running foot, or footer, italicised in red (“Dance like no one is watching; Email like it may one day be read aloud in a deposition.”) in the redacted screenshot above, has been raised with senior staff this afternoon and has since been sorted.
4. The LGOIMA response received today must be seen in light of a response to another request I made for information about Warrington Domain lodged on 22.1.17 [ref no. 570874]:
[excerpt; my underlining]
14. How many freedom campers have been staying at Warrington Domain nightly from 1 July 2016 to 15 January 2017? (please state number of vehicles; and number of individuals if known)
15. What is the average length of stay per vehicle at the Domain?
DCC response (28.2.17):
14) We do not perform a count of freedom campers at each site daily. An estimate may be available as a result of a recent survey that was conducted across camping sites within the city. Please advise if you wish to refine your request to include an estimate of numbers.
15) See the answer to question (14) above.
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whatifdunedin’s ‘amateur’ response and translation:
WE have the information —WE are going to control it. Let’s play cat and mouse, if it turns out the information is ‘maybe’ awkward or not in OUR political favour [before a Bylaw review]. Besides, WE need processing time to [‘line up ducks’] before the information, analysed…… hits the iPads of elected representatives. Micromanaging is GOOD. Vive la DCC Operatives !!
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Related Posts and Comments:
● 15.2.17 Warrington : DCC dictates loss of community’s grassed recreation reserve to freeloaders
8.2.17 Hands Off Enjoyment of OUR Beaches #DCC
● 6.2.17 Uncontrolled freedom camping at Warrington Domain this weekend —DCC ‘hell model’ [no enforcement]
● 1.2.17 “Fake news” from DCC boffins & Community Board re freedom camping at Warrington Domain #TheBlight
10.2.16 Dunedin freedom camping #DCC #enforcement
16.12.14 DCC: Freedom Camping issues
7.12.09 Coastal protection zones
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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr
This post is offered in the public interest.
*Image: warrington domain, cropped detail of supplied colour photograph taken 14.2.17
What if? Dunedin... 
Wait, the DCC seriously has the “Dance like no-one is watching…” quote in their official email signature?
Not any more as of yesterday.
I wondered if other LGOIMA requestees had it dished up to them or if I was the sole target on a some twisty whim.
Seemed like suicide to send it to the likes of me.
It’s been replaced by “Nyah nyah, we know something and we’re not telling YOU!”
DCC.
Ve vill not allow you to gazamping us vis dis informazion,
Elizabet!
Received. DF says “have done this for a bit of light relief in response to a rhetorical question from Anonymous.”
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Douglas Field Published on Mar 17, 2017
dancing like no one is watching
Dunedin really does do dancing when nobody is watching – ain’t fake news either – see for yourself – reg’lar lil’ Michael yer.
Dancing around the truth and hoping nobody’s watching….
From the unconfirmed minutes of the meeting of the Waikouaiti Coast Community Board held on 8 March 2017
[web ref]https://infocouncil.dunedin.govt.nz/Open/2017/03/CNL_20170328_AGN_537_AT_WEB.htm
[excerpts]
1 Public Forum
1.1 Public Forum
Andy Barrett and Judy Martin were invited to the meeting to speak about the Waikouaiti Resource Recovery Park, but sent their apologies and will attend at a later meeting.
Kirby Leckie spoke on the issue of freedom camping. She said she was one of the people who surveyed campers on behalf of the council. She spoke to many campers and they raved about how good it was there. She didn’t see any rubbish left behind. When she was there it was quiet. People played music quietly. A lot had travelled both the north and south island, others were starting their trip in the south island. The survey was for two hours every second evening from 7pm to 9pm and all campers were surveyed during that time.
Cr O’Malley joined the meeting at 5.36pm
Alan Cooper spoke on the issue of freedom camping. He and his wife own a house at Warrington. It used to be a peaceful place but this has changed with the domain becoming a freedom camping destination. People can no longer have picnics because this part of Warrington has been transformed into a campground. Increased volume of cars. Vehicles coming and going and there is a lack of privacy, and pressure on toilet facilities. This has led to criticism of the location on the internet. The areas originally set aside in the bylaw for different types of camping have never been enforced. One solution is to fence off some sections of the domain and return part of the domain to locals for picnicking. Setting up freedom camping sites has been a substantial cost to DCC and ratepayers. Difficult to gather revenue from freedom campers. He asked what plans are afoot for revision of the bylaw and finding alternative sites.
The chairman updated the meeting on the background to the issues and community board efforts to improve the situation. The bylaw is currently being reviewed and will be publically notified, with public submissions called for soon. Everyone will have input into that process, including the community board.
Discussion followed on the review of the bylaw and points raised by Mr Cooper.
Margie Harris spoke on the issue of freedom camping. Margie Harris said her property backs onto the Warrington Domain. There were big problems there at Waitangi weekend. Large sessions of group drinking, making noise, and hooning in cars. This is of concern to people. She is concerned there is no way to stop problem people. Locals with small children feel the domain is not safe with so much traffic. Some groups of people are menacing with scary dogs. She said there is no monitoring of how many nights people are staying. Some people are living there. One couple is living there for three months and working in Dunedin. She would like to see the numbers regulated.
Josie Harris said the numbers were not anticipated in the beginning. There are too many campers. They are taking undersized cockles and paua from the beach. She highlighted Chinese people taking shellfish and also one person taking a dump near the water. The signage around shellfish gathering and freedom camping needs to be in Chinese.
At 6pm the chairman moved to extend the time of the public forum. This was seconded by Mark Brown and the motion was carried.
Josie Harris would like to see more coordination between DCC and MPI on the impact on local shellfish, and baseline studies on marine life. She would like to see the camping area reduced to half of the second domain so the community can use the remaining area. A lot of dogs are off the lead on the domain. Dogs need to be on a lead at all times. Margie Harris said her fruit trees have been stripped the last two seasons by freedom campers. There should be a camera recording cars using the domain in case of a criminal act.
The chairman then read a letter on the issue of Freedom Camping from Naomi Ingram of Warrington.
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10 Chairperson’s Report
A verbal update by the chairman included the following matters:
5. Freedom camping bylaw – this is being reviewed soon. The board has been asked for input on what they feel should be included in the reviewed bylaw. The chairman asked members for ideas. It was noted that the board needed to take a balanced approach because there were people in Warrington who both agreed and disagreed with freedom campers coming there. Other suggestions included limiting the numbers, subdividing part of the land for a park and part for a domain, more policing and dog control. Dogs should be on a leash. The members agreed they did not want to differentiate between self-contained freedom camping vehicles and others.
The chairman tabled an email received earlier in the day from resident Rhys Owen and read it out.
The chairman asked members to suggest additional sites for freedom camping. The following suggestions were made:
· John Wilson Drive
· Back of Railway Station
· Rotary Park
· Puddle Alley near Invermay
· Car park at Bethune’s Valley
· Outram Glen
· Long Beach
· Middlemarch
· Karitane
· Any existing domain
· Car park at top of Botanic gardens
· Truby King Park at Seacliff
· Stadium carpark
6. The Reserves and Beaches Bylaw hearing will be held next week. Deputy chair Geraldine Tait will speak on behalf of the community board.
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[Opinion | What if? Dunedin —In respect of item 10.5, NO FREEDOM CAMPING SITES SHOULD BE ALLOWED WITHIN PARKS AND RESERVES OWNED BY DCC. DCC should not be taking business away from commercial camping grounds. DOC provides camping areas, even these should carry fixed charges to help recover costs.]