I am a nomad…I live/travel around in the tiniest of tiny homes..a small vintage (mid-fifties) caravan…
in this I have all I need/want…and I hafta say..I can wax eloquent on how much I love this life I am living..
as an indicator of the delights I experience on a daily/ongoing basis..since Xmas I have worn shoes/socks about 10 times..that's 'cos I stay in places where I don't need to wear shoes…beautiful places..a rolling roster of nz nature beauty..Tonite I have 270 degree seaviews..
but I am here to comment on this proposed crackdown on freedom campers..
and I would like to note that in the last few years I have been living this life here on the frontline I have seen not one freedom camper..foreign or local..abuse/pollute where they/we stay..all of them respecting…I have seen no toilet paper etc.
and as for those locals…many/most of them are homeless/low-paid workers..living in tents/vans/station wagons/cars…unable to afford rents in this poverty-blighted country..
I have never seen any of these homeless locals abusing/polluting our environment..
from what I see/experience this whole freedom camping moral panic is built on the back of anecdotal/historical evidence..nothing more..and the screams of the privileged..moaning that the very presence of freedom campers spoils their view/world..(and/well..fuck them..I say..)
and is nothing more than a punch down on those doing it the hardest..from this tory in labour drag..nash..and this 'kind/caring' labour government..
maybe these homeless..if barred from their only refuges by this poxy proposed legislation..maybe they should go and camp outside parliament..eh..?
and if nash success in this exercise in poor-bashing..I will put my hand up to help make that occupation happen…and I will be there with them..
the unthinking cruelty of this proposed crackdown ..to the weakest/poorest…makes my fucken blood boil…
And the filthy fuckers who climb the fence to unleash their bowels in my yard and the first I know of it is when the damn dogs roll in their excrement and tramp it through the house?
Some days I can't take the dogs to the beach because of the piles of reeking excrement in the dunes and the shitty bog paper flying like a flag from the lupins, FFS.
Some days I can't take the kids to the beach because of all the pile of reeking dog excrement in the dunes and shoreline. And the off-leash beasts snarling and barking at children and wildlife FFS.
Yeah, nah, it's real enough, the problems. A lot less now that the van tourists aren't dominating. Councils are useless from what I can tell, they just don't know what to do, mostly because of the $ signs in their eyes. I agree there's a whole layer of classism involved too. How many years into the housing crisis and they still haven't figured out how to support low income people living in mobile homes.
Glad you are out there having fun Phil. If you're still in barefeet, I'm guessing you're not down south, frosty toes now.
Okato surfer Chris Wilkes said Paora Road, a well-known South Taranaki break, was overrun and the new freedom camping bylaw was not being policed.
The bylaw allows three self-contained vehicles there a night.
"Basically we have a carpark being used as a campground and we had about 28 vehicles here last night," he said.
"I tell them there's a campground just five minutes down the road. They can go down there and, for $5 a night, there's showers and toilets available so it's a much better option."
Mr Wilkes said most of the campers had been understanding and left, but others refused to budge. He took the registration numbers of those who stayed and later chained up the toilet.
"You've got a small toilet here that's not actually designed for the capacity … It's actually overflowing at the moment."
I would like to note that in the last few years I have been living this life here on the frontline I have seen not one freedom camper..foreign or local..abuse/pollute where they/we stay..all of them respecting…I have seen no toilet paper etc.
I'm a regular visitor to the Cape and the meagre facilities the local community can afford to supply are remain under pressure – no water, plastic everywhere and shit all over the shop. Also, the desecration, defilement and disrespect of local Iwi's sacred places and property continues and public access to several of the west coast's premier surf spots, Kumera patch, Arawhata, Puniho, Mangahume and Raglan's Indicators to name a few, has been lost.
that is indeed one of the delights of this life..the many cool people you meet..
I also have a large very friendly dog..
he spurs many positive interactions..
and yep..I am warm..this caravan is brilliant..so well built..thick insulation..all varnished wood and yellow formica..and the body is raw aluminium…I effing luv it..
Yes Phillip and I bet you pick up rubbish and plant natives, as we did.
Can't beat the aluminium.
Are you a member of the NZMCA? We found the pops (park over properties) great and the parking properties they provided helpful for “Buzzing Along” Guess there are not too many free ones any more, and things have certainly changed after the outcry by some councils and MPs. Travel safely. Regards Trish and Norm
Philip Ure – I agree with you about the crackdown on freedom camping, it's just nimbyism. 20 odd years travelling around NZ and I too haven't seen any freedom campers polluting our country, rivers or beaches. It's bullshit targeting low hanging fruit. There is human waste and toilet paper out there on the beaches and in the bushes that I reckon is coming from the locals, day trippers including children. I've seen a lot of nappies in the bush too. Freedom campers responsible? I don't think so.
Local users here are residents of one of the most troubled and deprived provincial communities in the country. Most can only dream of spending 20 odd years travelling around NZ.
joe90 – The Taranaki coast is my backyard and I'm an old surfer as well. Your comments don't ring true. Rocky Lefts/Graveyards (Paroa Rd) is always busy with surfers some who stay over. There is no campground within 5 mins of there. Is 90 how old you are?
My experience with living out of a vehicle for most of a year (a while back now) was that; with such a tiny home, you really planned what you had with you. I was more homeless than freedom camping (though I did once get a ticket for parking-up without a blue sticker, and managed to get the council to waive it on the basis of homelessness – which prompted WINZ to finally acknowledge my housing needs, because it made them look bad). Still, I always managed to find room for a sealable (old paint) bucket with me and some cleaning stuff which was an adequate toilet when necessary, though not often used.
Anyway, other vehicle-dwellers I talked to, usually had some backup plan (including spades – though I didn't ask everyone what they used). Because you can't always trust a place with toilets to be open (/functional) – even when a map says they exist. So, I would agree with GreenBus; that it is most likely to be unprepared daytrippers, especially those with children (who aren't the best at anticipating their bodies' needs), who are responsible for the fouling.
Cheers Forget now. I've lost count of popular places that don't have toilets and the bushes are messed up with human filth. They usually have many Motor Homes parked up. They all have toilets on board, why on earth would they squat behind a bush? Answer, they don't. It will be all the car loads of people many with children that gotta go somewhere. Seems logical to me. But the campers are blamed. I use a porta potti which is truly portable for any vehicle and can be emptied easily at any ordinary toilet as well as dump stations. I've never had to use my spade yet.
I do not know quite where to put this comment. As it was not far from the beehive.
I was in Wellington on Lambton Quay at 9 am this morning after having been up during the night chucking with a migraine. I had to get home as quick as I was able to on inter city. I attended a relatives graduation yesterday where Hipkins spoke.
The weather was cold and wet. I saw a number of people with cups out to take a donation, but it was the two people who appeared asleep in a shop door front, they were covered up and had a sign out saying they were refused emergency accommodation.
I was cold, sleep deprived and unwell but on my way home to a shower and warm bed to sleep. How the people in the doorway are going to get through the winter went through my mind. As well were there a night shelter a bed would have been a human right.
There is something seriously wrong that people cannot have a bed provided.
I thought that there had been a plan for a hostel for Wellington's homeless last year? Though not a wet one – but I thought at least it's a start. Any idea anyone what became of this practical and worthy plan?
The WCC are too engrossed in their own dysfunction to have provided a hostel.
Down the road at the Beehive no one there has taken leadership to ensure that people can access a night shelter.
I would have homes with a respectful coordinator for the homeless with complex needs. The coordinator would need to be fair and available to be a listening ear to build a trusting relationship and have first aid training.
I have spoken to homeless people and have been told living in one place reminds them of being in prison. People become stuck for many reasons.
I agree Treetop. And as life becomes more complex it drives us all nuts. I think that we are all becoming warped by the hegemony of the drivers in society. Which is part of that Wellington problem you mention.
The PTB are unable to concentrate on outcomes that are needed, because of so many different matters put forward that are basically window dressing or having to fit embedded systems to meet requirements that are not proving practical – like having no choice but to deal with businesses to carry out services to the public like buses. Having to talk up your city or town so that it can be called up to 'world class' defined by whom, one should ask, and also why?
The reason for the night shelter going in Wellington is because long term accommodation is what the WCC are trying to do. If you have dimentia independent housing is probably not going to end well. Being able to go to a night shelter or a hostel (as a walk in) instead of being on the street at night is dignifying and able to be done.
The drug and alcohol act could be required to assess a person to avoid being beaten up, sexually assaulted, robbed or exposed to hypothermia.
Keeping in the line with the theme aimed against China, must mean that the Israelis are practicing Genocide against Palestinians, or does that brand you antisemitic.
Asked if she believed that inquiry was necessary, Collins said it was not, adding that public trust and confidence in police was at "astronomical levels" when she was minister.
"I think that for people to say there is systemic racism, completely denigrates the hard-working men and women of New Zealand police
Police Minister Judith Collins says police officers should have more discretion on using the Taser in volatile situations, even if a threat has not presented itself.
The minister is backing new Police Commissioner Peter Marshall, who yesterday revealed he intended to grant frontline police greater access to tasers and firearms, as well as relaxing the restrictions on when officers can use tasers.
Despite the increase in TASER use, there is a limited amount of literature available that examines its use and effectiveness. The New Zealand Police introduced the TASER in 2009 following a successful trial of the device. This research examines the use and effectiveness of the TASER by the New Zealand Police for the period 2010 to 2017 and shows that the use of the device has increased year-on-year. The analysis also found that while use of the device has increased at violent events, the form of that use has changed. Over the period of analysis, use of the discharge mode has increased compared with the show mode and as the use of the TASER increased, injuries sustained by subjects and officers also increased.
Though for the last link, I'd be interested in reading more than the abstract – if someone here has a spare 29 pounds sterling equivalent to post some quotes?
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Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp');Got a good quiz question?Send Newsroom your questions.The post Newsroom daily quiz, Friday 18 April appeared first on Newsroom. ...
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I am a nomad…I live/travel around in the tiniest of tiny homes..a small vintage (mid-fifties) caravan…
in this I have all I need/want…and I hafta say..I can wax eloquent on how much I love this life I am living..
as an indicator of the delights I experience on a daily/ongoing basis..since Xmas I have worn shoes/socks about 10 times..that's 'cos I stay in places where I don't need to wear shoes…beautiful places..a rolling roster of nz nature beauty..Tonite I have 270 degree seaviews..
but I am here to comment on this proposed crackdown on freedom campers..
and I would like to note that in the last few years I have been living this life here on the frontline I have seen not one freedom camper..foreign or local..abuse/pollute where they/we stay..all of them respecting…I have seen no toilet paper etc.
and as for those locals…many/most of them are homeless/low-paid workers..living in tents/vans/station wagons/cars…unable to afford rents in this poverty-blighted country..
I have never seen any of these homeless locals abusing/polluting our environment..
from what I see/experience this whole freedom camping moral panic is built on the back of anecdotal/historical evidence..nothing more..and the screams of the privileged..moaning that the very presence of freedom campers spoils their view/world..(and/well..fuck them..I say..)
and is nothing more than a punch down on those doing it the hardest..from this tory in labour drag..nash..and this 'kind/caring' labour government..
maybe these homeless..if barred from their only refuges by this poxy proposed legislation..maybe they should go and camp outside parliament..eh..?
and if nash success in this exercise in poor-bashing..I will put my hand up to help make that occupation happen…and I will be there with them..
the unthinking cruelty of this proposed crackdown ..to the weakest/poorest…makes my fucken blood boil…
and it must be stopped..
And the filthy fuckers who climb the fence to unleash their bowels in my yard and the first I know of it is when the damn dogs roll in their excrement and tramp it through the house?
Some days I can't take the dogs to the beach because of the piles of reeking excrement in the dunes and the shitty bog paper flying like a flag from the lupins, FFS.
Fuck 'em.
who's doing that Joe? Down south it used to mostly be the tourists travelling cheap in vans. I'm still seeing it a bit but not nearly as much.
So called freedom campers.
@ joe 90..
how do you know that..?
did you see them..?
how do you know it wasn't a drunken local..?
and you have been parroting that one for some time now..eh..?
c.f…'anecdotal/historical'..
q.e.d..
"'cos the 1960s had…"
Some days I can't take the kids to the beach because of all the pile of reeking dog excrement in the dunes and shoreline. And the off-leash beasts snarling and barking at children and wildlife FFS.
Fuck 'em.
Fuck 'em all, them come back alone !
Yeah, nah, it's real enough, the problems. A lot less now that the van tourists aren't dominating. Councils are useless from what I can tell, they just don't know what to do, mostly because of the $ signs in their eyes. I agree there's a whole layer of classism involved too. How many years into the housing crisis and they still haven't figured out how to support low income people living in mobile homes.
Glad you are out there having fun Phil. If you're still in barefeet, I'm guessing you're not down south, frosty toes now.
"Councils are useless from what I can tell, they just don't know what to do,"
Build more public toilets?
Wot forget now said..
the most obvious solution…
no need to further bash the poor…
Tried that.
Okato surfer Chris Wilkes said Paora Road, a well-known South Taranaki break, was overrun and the new freedom camping bylaw was not being policed.
The bylaw allows three self-contained vehicles there a night.
"Basically we have a carpark being used as a campground and we had about 28 vehicles here last night," he said.
"I tell them there's a campground just five minutes down the road. They can go down there and, for $5 a night, there's showers and toilets available so it's a much better option."
Mr Wilkes said most of the campers had been understanding and left, but others refused to budge. He took the registration numbers of those who stayed and later chained up the toilet.
"You've got a small toilet here that's not actually designed for the capacity … It's actually overflowing at the moment."
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/319668/freedom-campers-overrun-surf-spot
@ j 90..
news report from 2016.
c.f…'historical/anecdotal'
q.e.d..
Oh dear, that's awkward. lol
I'm a regular visitor to the Cape and the meagre facilities the local community can afford to supply are remain under pressure – no water, plastic everywhere and shit all over the shop. Also, the desecration, defilement and disrespect of local Iwi's sacred places and property continues and public access to several of the west coast's premier surf spots, Kumera patch, Arawhata, Puniho, Mangahume and Raglan's Indicators to name a few, has been lost.
speaking of people shitting in nature since forever..
how about those surfers..?..eh..?
It's called a fucking spade, Phillip.
funny story…I have never ever seen a surfer carrying a spade..
go figure..!
Petroleum jelly, hank of sash cord, baby's bath, a Burgess mat etc, etc.
But hey, it's likely too that you've no fucking idea what's in the boot of anyone's car.
so..we can gather from your comment..that when surfing..you shit in nature..but use a spade..so that makes it ok..?
have you thought of handing out plastic spades..to those who so offend you..
maybe a bucket of them at yr beach-side gate..?
If those dirty fuckers shitting all over the place near freedom camp sites isn't a problem, why is building more toilets "the most obvious solution…"?
+1
@ weka..
Upper waikato at the moment….very mild..
Hello Phillip, hope you are warm tonight. We did the motorhome life for 5 years.
We loved every minute and met great Kiwis with great stories. 2002 till 2007.
I have always believed Nash is a complete pillock. Cheers.
hello Patricia..
that is indeed one of the delights of this life..the many cool people you meet..
I also have a large very friendly dog..
he spurs many positive interactions..
and yep..I am warm..this caravan is brilliant..so well built..thick insulation..all varnished wood and yellow formica..and the body is raw aluminium…I effing luv it..
Yes Phillip and I bet you pick up rubbish and plant natives, as we did.
Can't beat the aluminium.
Are you a member of the NZMCA? We found the pops (park over properties) great and the parking properties they provided helpful for “Buzzing Along” Guess there are not too many free ones any more, and things have certainly changed after the outcry by some councils and MPs. Travel safely. Regards Trish and Norm
Chrs..
I don't plant natives….but yes to the rubbish thing..
No mca..yet..thinking about it..
Philip Ure – I agree with you about the crackdown on freedom camping, it's just nimbyism. 20 odd years travelling around NZ and I too haven't seen any freedom campers polluting our country, rivers or beaches. It's bullshit targeting low hanging fruit. There is human waste and toilet paper out there on the beaches and in the bushes that I reckon is coming from the locals, day trippers including children. I've seen a lot of nappies in the bush too. Freedom campers responsible? I don't think so.
Local users here are residents of one of the most troubled and deprived provincial communities in the country. Most can only dream of spending 20 odd years travelling around NZ.
@ j90..
the point you are attempting to make..?..is..?
joe90 – The Taranaki coast is my backyard and I'm an old surfer as well. Your comments don't ring true. Rocky Lefts/Graveyards (Paroa Rd) is always busy with surfers some who stay over. There is no campground within 5 mins of there. Is 90 how old you are?
I'm a little younger than Arch.
@ green bus..
chrs for yr input..
and 20 yrs ..?..I'm impressed…
have you written the book yet..?
My experience with living out of a vehicle for most of a year (a while back now) was that; with such a tiny home, you really planned what you had with you. I was more homeless than freedom camping (though I did once get a ticket for parking-up without a blue sticker, and managed to get the council to waive it on the basis of homelessness – which prompted WINZ to finally acknowledge my housing needs, because it made them look bad). Still, I always managed to find room for a sealable (old paint) bucket with me and some cleaning stuff which was an adequate toilet when necessary, though not often used.
Anyway, other vehicle-dwellers I talked to, usually had some backup plan (including spades – though I didn't ask everyone what they used). Because you can't always trust a place with toilets to be open (/functional) – even when a map says they exist. So, I would agree with GreenBus; that it is most likely to be unprepared daytrippers, especially those with children (who aren't the best at anticipating their bodies' needs), who are responsible for the fouling.
Cheers Forget now. I've lost count of popular places that don't have toilets and the bushes are messed up with human filth. They usually have many Motor Homes parked up. They all have toilets on board, why on earth would they squat behind a bush? Answer, they don't. It will be all the car loads of people many with children that gotta go somewhere. Seems logical to me. But the campers are blamed. I use a porta potti which is truly portable for any vehicle and can be emptied easily at any ordinary toilet as well as dump stations. I've never had to use my spade yet.
I do not know quite where to put this comment. As it was not far from the beehive.
I was in Wellington on Lambton Quay at 9 am this morning after having been up during the night chucking with a migraine. I had to get home as quick as I was able to on inter city. I attended a relatives graduation yesterday where Hipkins spoke.
The weather was cold and wet. I saw a number of people with cups out to take a donation, but it was the two people who appeared asleep in a shop door front, they were covered up and had a sign out saying they were refused emergency accommodation.
I was cold, sleep deprived and unwell but on my way home to a shower and warm bed to sleep. How the people in the doorway are going to get through the winter went through my mind. As well were there a night shelter a bed would have been a human right.
There is something seriously wrong that people cannot have a bed provided.
Wet hostels are required as well.
I thought that there had been a plan for a hostel for Wellington's homeless last year? Though not a wet one – but I thought at least it's a start. Any idea anyone what became of this practical and worthy plan?
The WCC are too engrossed in their own dysfunction to have provided a hostel.
Down the road at the Beehive no one there has taken leadership to ensure that people can access a night shelter.
I would have homes with a respectful coordinator for the homeless with complex needs. The coordinator would need to be fair and available to be a listening ear to build a trusting relationship and have first aid training.
I have spoken to homeless people and have been told living in one place reminds them of being in prison. People become stuck for many reasons.
I agree Treetop. And as life becomes more complex it drives us all nuts. I think that we are all becoming warped by the hegemony of the drivers in society. Which is part of that Wellington problem you mention.
The PTB are unable to concentrate on outcomes that are needed, because of so many different matters put forward that are basically window dressing or having to fit embedded systems to meet requirements that are not proving practical – like having no choice but to deal with businesses to carry out services to the public like buses. Having to talk up your city or town so that it can be called up to 'world class' defined by whom, one should ask, and also why?
This fits in with what you and Tiger Mountain have said on – https://thestandard.org.nz/guest-post-let-the-outrage-continue/#comment-1792664
Have you heard of korsakoff syndrome?
It is a dimentia due to alcoholism.
The reason for the night shelter going in Wellington is because long term accommodation is what the WCC are trying to do. If you have dimentia independent housing is probably not going to end well. Being able to go to a night shelter or a hostel (as a walk in) instead of being on the street at night is dignifying and able to be done.
The drug and alcohol act could be required to assess a person to avoid being beaten up, sexually assaulted, robbed or exposed to hypothermia.
Keeping in the line with the theme aimed against China, must mean that the Israelis are practicing Genocide against Palestinians, or does that brand you antisemitic.
Lip service only from the big Powers.
I guess a black hole is an astronomical object:
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/442373/police-unconscious-bias-inquiry-not-necessary-says-national-party-s-judith-collins
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/collins-calls-for-police-discretion-in-taser-use/A4MAXNPKXOZ6UJU3XMDWMVZVE4/
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1461355720947779
Though for the last link, I'd be interested in reading more than the abstract – if someone here has a spare 29 pounds sterling equivalent to post some quotes?
As an epileptic, putting those electric-whips in the hands of uniformed bullies, simply terrified me then. Still does, a decade later.
Ugly victim blaming from Heather Duplicity Allan on the radio this afternoon. Says the race relations tensions are all Labour's fault, of course.
Imagine taking advice on such things from a South African!
A little history
https://michael-hudson.com/2021/04/the-honest-sector/