Dear Office of the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment,

In your 2021 report you stated that freedom camping education had not worked.
Please explain how you came to that conclusion and who influenced it?

While it is known Tiaki Promise has not been overly successful potentially due to coming across as an advert for AirNz, (with only21% full views recorded), other programs like the Responsible Camper Association education and accreditation program, has not had a single accredited camper subject to a complaint, in its 8 years of existence.

It has been evidenced that campers with self containment certification are often 'exposed' as being the most irresponsible, while the developers of that program are very public about blaming others or gaslighting others solutions (ie Lobbying to strengthen the legislated defense to public defecation. https://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/publ...)
Tourism Industry Aotearoa (TIA) stated in 2018 that it believed certified self contained campers held no moral high ground with many more complains against them than non certified campers.

Can you explain why Minister Nash (Retired), claimed your 2021 report was the catalyst for his Self Contained Motor Vehicle Bill - even though your report wasn't written for some 4-5 months after Nash had publicly announced his way forward.
It appears that your report was written more to support his narrative, than to be the catalyst for it.

Why did you seek advise from NZMCA about your report and its contents as you have credited therein?

Please also explain why your report is at odds with the conclusion of Kelvin Davis (Tourism Minister) who concluded there was no reason to change the permissive intent of the Freedom Camping Act, nor to give the voluntary NZStandard for self containment any legal ability. (It was voluntary and met only 1/6 requirements to have any legal ability). That was after he had set up and worked with the Responsible Campers Working Group.

Finally are you a member of New Zealand Motor Caravan Association (NZMCA) and if you are why have you not disclosed a conflict of interest?

Yours faithfully,

Robert Osborne Snr