Freedom campers
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<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="WillieTheWaiter" data-cid="566301" data-time="1458530176">
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<p>I must confess I laugh my fcuking ar$e off every time I see someone complain about campers coming over here and making a mess.</p>
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<p>People have no idea what kiwis are like in europe.. am going to throw out there that they're a shedload worse.</p>
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<p>here's an example from a 'freedom' camping site in germany...</p>
<p><img src="http://www.daimenhutchison.com/rugby/public/style_images/master/attachicon.gif" alt="attachicon.gif"><a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://www.daimenhutchison.com/rugby/index.php?app=core&module=attach§ion=attach&attach_rel_module=post&attach_id=1997'>MOre Carnage.jpg</a></p>
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<p>I'm sure kiwis over there behave like ferals, thats the problem of the countries in europe to deal with not ours. Does anyone think kiwis are going to stop going to europe? Thats one of the excuses that keeps cropping up, "unless we create better facilities for these freeloaders to use without paying for them they'll stop coming". </p>
<p>Good, sounds like a plan to me.</p> -
<p>some of the slogans on those campers are very poor taste and offensive.</p>
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<p>The ones I've seen are just puerile. </p>
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<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Godder" data-cid="567655" data-time="1459073879"><p>Interestingly, the freedom campers spend more money than the average tourist.</p></blockquote>
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Can you post a link to that? I saw a story about that last week and the maths looked a bit messed up. -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="antipodean" data-cid="566332" data-time="1458542254">
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<p>The ones I've seen are just puerile. </p>
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<p>the vans look like shit on the whole. They look like they spent the week parked up in the ghetts of LA or South Auckland, tagged to shit.</p>
<p>They are just a fucking eye sore. Im sure they are popular with freedom campers (aka parasites) but from reports overseas families use them too. Why would you ?</p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Virgil" data-cid="567751" data-time="1459119806">
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<p>the vans look like shit on the whole. They look like they spent the week parked up in the ghetts of LA or South Auckland, tagged to shit.</p>
<p>They are just a fucking eye sore. Im sure they are popular with freedom campers (aka parasites) but from reports overseas families use them too. Why would you ?</p>
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<p>Price. They are cheap</p>
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<p>About 2/3s the cost of an equivalent 'Spacehip' camper and if you look at at the Wicked website they look quite tidy with no sign of offensive slogans just comic like graphic art.</p>
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<p>Plenty of families probably being quite shocked with what they go to pick up.</p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="jegga" data-cid="567693" data-time="1459103775"><p>
Can you post a link to that? I saw a story about that last week and the maths looked a bit messed up.</p></blockquote>
<br><a class="bbc_url" href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/78139668/freedom-campers-spend-more-but-stay-longer-than-other-tourists">http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/78139668/freedom-campers-spend-more-but-stay-longer-than-other-tourists</a><br><br>
Basically, they stay a lot longer than average, so they spend more. The figures are from MBIE (Immigration NZ is part of MBIE), so are likely to be reasonably accurate. -
How are they getting their hands on the credit card data?
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<p>I would say the Credit card data would be easy for them to get information on*, it is differentiating the freedom campers vs the normal tourists that is more difficult IMO.</p>
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<p>Mastercard/Visa would be able to show which credit cards that originated in the UK, and spent in NZ, without any names or details other than this card spent $6000 in 6 weeks, I doubt Visa/Mastercard are breaching any privacy by providing that data??</p> -
<p>You have to be fucken dreaming if you think these Freedom campers are contributing more or even equal to the the average Visitor in NZ. The same visitor that shells out $200 + per night to stay at hotels etc. That comes over with $1000's of disposable income to blow on Merino slippers.</p>
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<p>Those turds that park up for free, do their washing, shit and brush their teeth in our streams and on our roads are probably costing more money (Clean up costs etc)</p>
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<p>If Freedom Campers were banned from entering our country tomorrow ill wager one of my nuts the total Tourism income for the next 12 months wouldnt even fucken drop a single %.</p>
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<p>The sooner they fuck off and Wicked Campers along with them (2 problems, one fix) the better.</p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="taniwharugby" data-cid="567800" data-time="1459128244"><p>
I would say the Credit card data would be easy for them to get information on*, it is differentiating the freedom campers vs the normal tourists that is more difficult IMO.<br><br>
Mastercard/Visa would be able to show which credit cards that originated in the UK, and spent in NZ, without any names or details other than this card spent $6000 in 6 weeks, I doubt Visa/Mastercard are breaching any privacy by providing that data??</p></blockquote>
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Easier than it sounds - if normal tourists purchase accommodation, then freedom campers are the foreign credit cards with no or minimal accommodation purchases. It's not perfect, but it's a reasonable proxy. Paymark can also provide the info, and as long as they scrub the identity information, it's fine (there are two exemptions to the Privacy Act that apply - releasing info for statistical and research purposes, and, arguably, protection of public revenue).<br><br>
Also, to get into NZ, the tourists have to show evidence of $1000 per month ($6000 for Brits, $3000 for the rest) plus a return ticket at the border, so they have to have funds available, even if they don't necessarily spend it on accommodation. -
The cruise ship tourists are big spenders. I am sure many of the high end shops on Queen St would not survive without them.
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<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Virgil" data-cid="567806" data-time="1459132035">
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<p>You have to be fucken dreaming if you think these Freedom campers are contributing more or even equal to the the average Visitor in NZ. The same visitor that shells out $200 + per night to stay at hotels etc. That comes over with $1000's of disposable income to blow on Merino slippers.</p>
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<p>Those turds that park up for free, do their washing, shit and brush their teeth in our streams and on our roads are probably costing more money (Clean up costs etc)</p>
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<p><strong>If Freedom Campers were banned from entering our country tomorrow ill wager one of my nuts the total Tourism income for the next 12 months wouldnt even fucken drop a single %.</strong></p>
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<p>The sooner they fuck off and Wicked Campers along with them (2 problems, one fix) the better.</p>
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<p>Likely because their actual numbers are really low - as I mentioned from the Radiolive report above.</p> -
<br><br><blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Godder" data-cid="567930" data-time="1459191214"><p>
Also, to get into NZ, the tourists have to show evidence of $1000 per month ($6000 for Brits, $3000 for the rest) plus a return ticket at the border, so they have to have funds available, even if they don't necessarily spend it on accommodation.</p></blockquote>
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I never knew this and haven't seen it in action. The Mrs hasn't been asked for anything other than a passport and address. -
<p>Some folk here pretty keen to throw the baby out with the bathwater.</p>
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<p>Young backpacker type tourists not only sustain some of the more out of the way towns in NZ (which has all round benefits in many ways for all of us) but they are the prime candidates for spreading the tourist word through social media, word of mouth and will most likely return many years later with much more cash.</p>
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<p>To make their trip work and to spread their $ further (NZ is pretty quick to try and fleece tourists every which way) they will sometimes pull up for the night in their semi self contained vehicles to sleep. The majority take a dump at the nearest publicly available toilet and don't leave rubbish behind.</p>
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<p>Yes there are obviously some bad eggs just taking advantage and not caring at all. How about looking for ways to clamp down on them rather than lump everyone in together?</p>
