Public hearings for the Reserves Management Plan and the Freedom Camping Bylaw

14 July 2025

On Wednesday 9 July, an Extraordinary Council Meeting was held to hear verbal submissions on the draft Freedom Camping Bylaw and the draft Reserves Management Plan. The members of public that spoke had asked to present their views during the recent public consultations on these items.

Consultation for the draft Reserves Management Plan was open for two months from 14 April to 20 June. Thank you to everyone who took the time to share their thoughts. This was the second round of consultation, with the first round of engagement taking place in August – September 2023.

Four submitters discussed their entries for the Reserves Management Plan, addressing topics like greater recognition for local volunteers, enhanced safety, and more transparent consultation. To hear the full public comments, watch the recording of the livestream on Council’s YouTube channel (link below).

Consultation for the draft Freedom Camping Bylaw closed on 20 June 2025. Altogether there were 30 submitters ranging from residents, freedom campers, local businesses, community groups, and tourism advocates. This consultation followed a pre-engagement survey that was conducted in February 2025 and helped to shape the proposed bylaw.

There was one submitter scheduled to speak, who did not arrive.

The next step for both matters is council deliberations, taking place on 30 July 2025:

This is where elected members discuss the feedback given in the submissions, public hearings and from staff recommendations. Through these discussions, they determine what changes should be made to the draft Plans.

This meeting will also be live streamed on the Council’s YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@LandOfRanges

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Extraordinary Meeting of Tararua District Council (9 July):

More information about the consultation for each of these matters can be found on our Consultations webpage.