The Wildlife Camping Association says New Zealand’s law that allows people to shit in public if they feel they shouldn’t be seen should be tightened. In the country, campers have long been considered responsible for the entry of the majority of human excrement into nature.
Defecation and urination in a public place is currently a crime. If a person can prove that they have reason to believe that no one can see them, they can avoid a $200 fine. According to the Responsible Camp Association (RCA), people must also be able to demonstrate that they carried out their activities at least 50 meters from the nearest stream and that the litter was buried at least 15 cm deep.
“It’s not the work as much as the visual impact that’s causing concern,” said RCA spokesman Bob Osborne, and they say that’s not the way camping should be restricted, but that individuals are behaving inappropriately.
According to local reports, the popular picnic spots are full of excrement and toilet paper because of the campers. Some municipalities have decided to ban tents entirely from popular places. In late 2020, Tourism Secretary Stuart Nash said campers in vehicles without independent toilets “park on the side of the road and … defecate in rivers.”
“There is no evidence linking any specific group to this undesirable practice,” said Osborne, who said it was unfair to blame wilderness camps for the nation’s sanitation problems, and the association said more latrines should be made available to travelers.
According to government data, nearly 245,000 tent campers were registered in 2019, including 91,000 New Zealanders. In 2021, Nash announced that the government would crack down on wilderness camps, with tougher fines for those acting illegally and restrictions on campground parking spaces. The law will be presented to Parliament this year. (Watchman)
