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Responsible camping bylaw

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The Responsible Camping Bylaw 2025 was adopted on 11 September and came into effect on 1 November 2025.

Hard copies of the Bylaw are available for viewing at all Council office. 

Purpose of the Bylaw

The purpose of this Bylaw is to regulate freedom camping in the Tasman District in order to:  

  • Protect the local authority areas
  • Protect the health and safety of people who may visit local authority areas
  • Protect access to local authority areas  

The Bylaw sets out where and how freedom camping can happen across the District and how we enforce the regulations. It has two Schedules that indicate areas which are defined as:

  1. Prohibited for all forms of camping
  2. Restricted to certain types of vehicle (certified self-contained and/or non-self-contained)

Check out this map(external link) to see all locations for self-contained and non-self-contained camping, along with commercial campsites and dump-stations.  

Freedom camping in a tent on public land is not permitted in the Tasman District. 
 
Self-contained, in relation to a motor vehicle, means that the vehicle has a valid certificate of self-containment issued in accordance with section 87U(3)(d) of the Plumbers, Gasfitters, and Drainlayers Act 2006 (external link)(but see subpart 1 of Part 1 of Schedule 1AA [of the Freedom Camping Act(external link)] for the meaning of self-contained during the transitional period). 

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