Following the success of last summer, a further $8 million is being made available to continue delivering a better freedom camping system and to encourage responsible camping across New Zealand, Tourism Minister Kelvin Davis announced on Friday.

The funding will be available for summer 2019/20 for education and ambassador programmes, enforcement activity and the provision of temporary facilities for the busy summer season.

'Last summer we worked hard with local government and communities to improve the freedom camping experience for everyone. The feedback we've received from councils and communities has exceeded all expectations, and it's great that we're able to do this again,” says Kelvin.

'We want to build on the success of last summer. This means making sure we're targeting funding and facilities at the right locations, to minimise any potential impacts on communities and businesses.

'We know that campers want to do the right thing, and want to travel around New Zealand responsibly. We need to support them to act as guardians of Aotearoa by providing information, education and the facilities they want to use."

'Our successful approach to responsible camping is a prime example of how the New Zealand-Aotearoa Government Tourism Strategy will work in action.

'We've shown that by working together with local government and the sector to come up with sustainable solutions to tourism issues, we can deliver better experiences for visitors and local communities alike,” says Kelvin.

The responsible camping funding round will open on June 1 2019. Further information, including funding criteria, is available at: https://www.mbie.govt.nz/immigration-and-tourism/tourism/tourism-projects/responsible-camping/