Government brushing off tourist levy as freedom campers put the pressure on NZSUPPLIED A photo sent in by Neil Sparks who confronted a group of German freedom campers after they lit a fire at The Pines on the shores of Lake Pukaki six metres away from a "light no fire" zone. JOHN HAWKINS/FAIRFAX NZ Southland District Council Stewart Island councillor Bruce Ford, who first proposed a tourist levy for Stewart Island in 1978, on the day it was finally introduced in 2013. FAIRFAX NZ A rubbish bin overflows in Whangarei, as freedom campers flock to the area. MARION VAN DIJK Freedom campers are creating problems across the country. Those are exactly the reasons being espoused by the southern mayors as justification for the introduction of a tourist levy here.

Source: Stuff May 09, 2017 05:37 UTC