In Case You Missed It: NZMCA Board Report June 2025

Association President Sharron King welcomed a small group of local Area members to the ‘open’ section of the latest Board meeting, held at the Kelvin Hotel, Invercargill on Saturday, June 14. As advised in the last Board report, this was the Board’s last regional meeting. 

From August the Board’s bi-monthly meetings will be held in either Auckland, Wellington or Christchurch, which offer easier travel logistics, allowing for greater efficiency and productivity.

Membership growth survey feedback
CEO Bruce Lochore advised the Board that a recent survey of members had shown a good level of support for a membership growth idea that was first raised at its April meeting.

All NZMCA members were invited to participate in the survey which asked members to respond Yes or No to the question:

Do you support allowing the owners of non-CSC vehicles to join the club so they can access CampSaver and other membership benefits, on the clear proviso that only self-contained vehicles are permitted in our Parks and POPs?

As at June 11 (just prior to the Board meeting) 77.7% of the 5902 respondents answered yes to that question; with 22.3% responding No.

Of those who supported the idea, their most common reasons – in order of frequency - were:

• Membership growth and sustainability - It will help maintain or increase membership numbers, especially as the current ‘Baby Boomer’ demographic ages.
• Financial benefits for the Association - More members mean increased revenue to support NZMCA Parks, facilities, and help keep membership fees affordable.
• Increased negotiating power - A larger membership base gives the organisation more leverage when negotiating discounts and benefits with partners.
• Inclusivity for families: This change would make membership more accessible to younger families who may not be able to afford fully self-contained vehicles.
• Gateway to full membership: Some believe these members may eventually upgrade to self-contained vehicles after experiencing the benefits of membership. 

For those against the idea, their most common reasons – in order of frequency - were:

• Integrity and standards: Concern it undermines the organization's commitment to responsible, environmentally-friendly camping, and could dilute the NZMCA's reputation.
• Overcrowding and policing difficulties: Fears that non-CSC vehicles will attempt to use NZMCA parks, making enforcement challenging for custodians.
• Potential abuse: Members worry that non-certified vehicles could misuse the benefits and access locations where self-containment is required, potentially tarnishing NZMCA's image.
• Unfairness to current members: Those who have invested in becoming self-contained may feel it's unfair to offer benefits to those who haven't met those standards.
• Undermining self-containment efforts: The change could potentially reverse efforts to promote self-containment, which has been a core principle of the NZMCA.

After discussing the feedback, the Board agreed to further consider the idea at its August meeting.

Self-containment progress
The NZMCA’s National Manager, Property & Policy, James Imlach advised the Board that between October 1, 2024 and May 28, 2025 the Association had issued 17,626 green and 1,069 yellow warrant cards.

What’s more, as at May 28, 379 green warrant card levy inspections remained unpaid and six more have been paid for but the membership has expired - bringing the total number of processed vehicle inspections under the new system to 19,080.

“Total inspections have decreased slightly since the launch of the new programme in October 2024,” says James. “However, following the distribution of the EDM encouraging members not to hold-off getting their vehicles certified closer to the June 7, 2026 deadline,  the Membership Team saw a significant increase in activity.

“Inspection form submissions rose from an average of 44 to over 200 per day, and have since stabilised at 100–200 forms per day. As a result, Areas have begun organising additional self-containment days to help meet demand.”

NZMCA Parks update

• Kaiaua: The NZMCA’s Property team are exploring cost-effective options with the landowner to provide potable water on site, following member requests. Options under consideration include a bore and rainwater tanks.
• Eriksen Road, Napier: The new Penny-powered sites and town water supply connections have been well received by members.
• Plimmerton: We are working with Penny to bring power to the site, install 10 powered sites, and future-proof the site for potential electronic access for members.
• Motueka: The Tasman District Council and Motueka Community Board have approved a proposal from National Office to double the size of the park, build a community dog park next door, and support native plantings around the inlet. It will take some time for the NZMCA to negotiate a new lease and apply for new consents before any work commences on site.
• Rotary Glen: We have entered into a new five-year licence to occupy agreement with LINZ, which includes permission to increase the maximum capacity from 10 to 15 vans.
• Glenorchy: The park is operational and has received excellent feedback from members. There is a minor issue with the elevation of the dump station unit due to a different model being used to meet QLDC requirements, but this will be resolved shortly.

Park access and remote management proposals under review 
The Board was updated on National Office’s investigation into the access and remote management of the Association’s Parks and public campgrounds.

Currently three  companies specialising in remote access and facility management technologies, with proven experience supporting commercial campgrounds and other shared public facilities, have put forward comprehensive proposals.

Their proposals include a range of access technologies, including barrier arms (mains or solar powered), license plate recognition, electronic padlocks, PIN code entry, and lockboxes with PIN code for gate key access.

At this stage the NZMCA property team is reviewing the proposals received while undertaking a comparative analysis to help the Board decide which (if any) proposal to proceed with.  A detailed analysis, including cost implications, implementation timeframes, and recommended next steps, will be presented to the Board in August.

Focus on reducing rubbish removal costs
Back in April 2019, the Board agreed that NZMCA Parks should provide (where practicable) potable water, rubbish disposal, and dump stations, and that members on holiday could use park facilities free of charge, even if not staying overnight. 

Six years on the NZMCA’s Property team is now reviewing rising rubbish removal costs, driven by inflation and increased member usage (especially waste dumping from members not staying overnight).

The review will include assessing current waste management contracts for cost-saving opportunities and consideration of engaging regional/national operators to consolidate services and hopefully achieve economies of scale. New contracts and changes are hoped to be finalised by the end of FY2024/25.

Financial performance
Treasurer Arthur Keane reported the Association’s surplus of $1,587,342 for the seven months to April 30, 2025 was $261,020 above the Board’s deliberately conservative budget expectation given the current economic environment. 

That result was based on income being above budget by $132,592 and expenses under budget by $208,095. 

The main income variances against budget were: Subscriptions and Joining Fees.

Cut-off time added to complaints process
The Board has approved an amendment to current Bylaw 4.1 to add a cut-off time for making complaints following observation of an alleged offence.   

In proposing the amendment, Vice-President Brian Stanley said he believed it was necessary following recent issues where complaints ‘have been dredged up that are up to five years since observation of the alleged offence’.

“It is almost impossible for the Complaint Investigator to properly investigate complaints of this nature where time would have clouded memories making it difficult to reach a resolution.”

To avoid any reoccurrence of such issues, the Board agreed to add the wording to Bylaw 4.1: All disputes, grievances, and complaints (together complaints ) concerning a Member are to be submitted in writing to the Complaint Investigator within thirty (30) days of observation of the alleged offence using the Official Complaint Form available on the NZMCA website.

Online park fees
The Board was advised the average percentage of NZMCA Park fees paid online by members via the App or website for the seven months to April 30, 2025 remains high at 92%.

The actual percentages were: October 2024 – 91%; November 2024 – 91% and December 2024 – 93%; January 2025 – 88%; February 2025 – 96% and March 25 – 87%.

That’s well ahead of the 84 per cent of fees paid online in the same period 12 months ago and continues the trend of members’ increasing use of available digital technology. 

Membership growth
New NZMCA memberships for the seven months to April 30, 2025 were 5,865 against a  budget of 4,609.

Net membership growth after resignations was 696 against a  budget of 158. As a result the number of individual members at April 30, 2025 reached a new high of 122,192.

REMINDERS FOR MEMBERS

Park fees to be online only from October 1
From October 1, 2025 all NZMCA Park fees will be paid online – except in the handful of sites where mobile coverage is poor and WiFi is not yet available.

Don't know how to pay using the app? Follow this link to learn how. Phone too old for the app, or unable to pay via the app for some reason? You can pay on the NZMCA website via the Online Travel Directory; follow this link to learn how.

Members advised not to delay on self-containment
With tens of thousands of members’ vehicles still to be inspected under the new self-containment regulations, the NZMCA’s National Manager, Property & Policy, James Imlach is advising them not to wait until near the deadline for privately-owned vehicles of June 7, 2026. 

“There are no guarantees our volunteers will be able to inspect your vehicle closer to June 2026 if you choose to wait,” says James.

CampSaver 2025/2026 offers more great value
The NZMCA’s popular year-round CampSaver programme – which includes close to 100 commercial campgrounds - is about to enter its fourth year, with unchanged rates from the last season. The great-value rates are: either a 20% discount or a flat rate of $25 for two ($20 for one) on a powered site.