A fairer system for every member
Over the past couple of years, many of you have told us about a growing number of people using our parks without doing the right thing. That includes park fees not being paid, vehicles that don’t always appear to be certified self-contained, and people staying overnight who are not financial members.
The vast majority of members do the right thing every time. When others don’t, it isn’t fair on those who pay, it costs the club income that goes back into our parks, and it puts our network at risk. Until now, we have relied on member honesty and the goodwill of park volunteers to keep things on track. As our membership grows, that approach is no longer sustainable long-term. Our parks host well over half a million visitor nights each year and checking compliance should not continue to be a heavy burden on our volunteers.
LPR cameras let us check compliance consistently and automatically, the same way at every park. The system will scan a vehicle’s number plate and confirm that:
people entering are financial members or other authorised visitors
vehicles used for camping are certified self-contained
the park fee has been paid
If something isn’t right, the system will send a friendly reminder directly to the member. Most issues will be resolved quickly with no awkward conversations needed.
Giving our volunteers time to do what they do best
Our park volunteers are incredible. They give their time to welcome members, look after our parks and share their local knowledge. They volunteered to be friendly hosts, not compliance officers.
Right now, too much of their time goes into checking financial membership status, self-containment warrants are up to date, and park fees are paid. Sometimes this results in uncomfortable conversations with people who don’t fully comply. Once the cameras are fully operational (next year), those routine checks will be handled by the system.
That frees our volunteers to spend more time on what makes NZMCA Parks special, such as
welcoming members and getting to know them
sharing tips on what to see, do and eat around the park and local area
helping members find their way around the park and its facilities
simply being great hosts