WE have the information, unreasonable delay providing it #LGOIMA

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]

****

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]

*****

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.

****

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 !!

—

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

—

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

Uncontrolled freedom camping at Warrington Domain this weekend —DCC ‘hell model’ [no enforcement]

Fair-minded councils ban freedom campers from parks and reserves.

DCC is not a fair-minded council.

Last year DCC staff told local residents that this summer (2016/17) the council intends to allow freedom camper vehicles to take up the whole domain at Warrington….

DCC 23. Camping Control Bylaw 2015

[click to enlarge]
Warrington Recreation Reserve, February 2016. Annotated overlay shows designated areas for freedom camper vehicles according to Bylaw 23 (see above Map, or go to page 20).

****

Note: Maps installed by DCC at the Domain aren’t consistent with the Bylaw Map above (page 20), and don’t represent the Bylaw conditions (page 7):

****

T H E ● L O N G ● ‘W A I T A N G I’ ● W E E K E N D

*Remember, no DCC enforcement applies.

Last night (Sun, 5 Feb) 110 vehicles were counted in Warrington Domain — plus tents. It’s estimated that 30% were New Zealanders getting a free camp ground.

In terms of costs…. if DCC is spending $80,000 per year on freedom camping and if 8,000 people per year are staying at Warrington Domain, then Ratepayers are paying $10/night on their accommodation. As opposed to the campers paying.

There was also a party there last night with loud music until after midnight.

Images supplied.

● Sunday evening, 5 Feb 2017 [click to enlarge]

● Monday morning, 6 Feb 2017 [click to enlarge]

The council contractors said they emptied the bins yesterday (Sunday), so this is just one night’s worth of rubbish:

****

Dunedin City Council
█ 23. Camping Control Bylaw 2015 (PDF, 2.5 MB)
The purpose of this bylaw is to protect, promote, and maintain public health and safety by regulating freedom camping within the district; and restrict freedom camping in public places within the district. Link

Date approved: 01 November 2015

** Review date: [No date given. However, DCC is currently consulting on the Proposed Reserves and Beaches Bylaw 2017 and seeks public submissions by February 10, 2017. As part of the bylaw review DCC is considering restricting numbers of vehicles at Warrington to 50 vehicles per night. This is still too many as it equates to over 100 people living in the domain every night. Warrington has a resident population of around 400 people so an additional 100+ is a big increase.]

Within Section 3. [Interpretation] of the bylaw, it says:
Freedom camp means to camp (other than at a camping ground) within 200m of a motor vehicle accessible area or the mean low-water springs line of any sea or harbour, or on or within 200m of a formed road or a Great Walks Track, using one or more of the following:
(a) A tent or other temporary structure;
(b) A caravan;
(c) A car, campervan, housetruck, or other motor vehicle.

In this bylaw freedom camping does not include the following activities:
(a) Temporary or short term parking of a motor vehicle;
(b) Recreational activities commonly known as day-trip excursions;
(c) Resting or sleeping at the roadside in a caravan or motor vehicle to avoid driver fatigue.

Freedom Camping has the same meaning as freedom camp

Self-contained vehicle means a car, campervan, housetruck, or other motor vehicle designed and built for the purpose of camping which has the capability of meeting the ablutionary and sanitary needs of occupants of that vehicle for a minimum of three days without requiring any external services or discharging any waste and is certified that it complies with New Zealand Standard 5465:2001 Self Containment of Motor Caravans and Caravans.

The bylaw includes the following sections:

Section 4. Purpose
The purpose of this bylaw is to:
Define the local authority areas in Dunedin where freedom camping is restricted, and the restrictions that apply to freedom camping in those areas, and to define the local authority areas in the City where freedom camping is prohibited, to achieve one or more of the following purposes:
(a) The areas are protected
(b) The health and safety of the people who may visit the areas is protected
(c) Access to the areas is protected

Section 5. Restrictions on Freedom Camping
(a) A person must not freedom camp in any local authority areas within a prohibited zone, as identified in Schedule A of this bylaw.
(b) A person may only freedom camp in any restricted area, as identified in Schedule B, if they are using a self-contained vehicle where they comply with specified conditions in this schedule or displayed on the site.
(c) A person may freedom camp in any area where freedom camping is unrestricted, as identified in Schedule C where they comply with specified conditions in this schedule or displayed on the site.
(d) A person freedom camping in accordance with 5 (b) or (c) must not stay at any one local authority area for more than two consecutive nights.

Section 9. Offences and penalties
1. In accordance with section 20(1) of the Act, every person who breaches this bylaw commits an infringement offence.
2. In accordance with section 27 of the Act, an enforcement officer may issue an infringement notice to anyone who the enforcement officer believes on reasonable grounds has committed or is committing an infringement offence as set out in section 20(1) of the Act (a copy of which is included as Schedule D of this Bylaw for information only).
3. A person who commits an infringement offence is liable to a $200 infringement fee for each offence.

****

There has been no response from DCC to my LGOIMA request dated 22 January 2017. See previous post:

█ 1.2.17 “Fake news” from DCC boffins & Community Board re freedom camping at Warrington Domain #TheBlight

—

Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

This post is offered in the public interest.