New Lease To Return ‘Kiwi Camping' To Nelson
Wednesday, 28 May 2025, 8:12 pm
Article: Max Frethey - Local Democracy Reporter
A new lease has been signed for the Maitai Valley Camp and the company that's taking over wants to see a return of 'traditional Kiwi camping' in the city.
Nelson City Council has been managing the camp, but Kiwi Cash Limited, trading as Penny will take over on 1 June.
Penny founder Chris Wagner said the Nelson Tasman region has been on the company's radar 'for some time'.
'We're really, really looking forward to it. If there was any spot to have it in New Zealand, having one in Nelson, and especially up the Maitai [Valley], is just awesome.'
Wagner said that many travellers skip Nelson – 'vis-à-vis they come off the ferry and they go to Queenstown' – and he hopes to attract more visitors to the region.
The Maitai Valley was 'absolutely beautiful' with great activities, like the nearby mountain bike trails and golf course, but was generally 'underused', and Wagner hoped a refreshed campground will encourage more visitors and locals to explore the area.
He thought that 'traditional Kiwi camping' has been eroded around the country, and Penny hopes to offer that experience in Nelson.
'When I was a kid, we used to go out fishing, we used to light a fire, we used to be taught how to do it safely and properly… getting taught how to make a bivvy out of trees, getting taught how to hang your own hammock, and stuff like that,' Wagner said.
'Those kinds of spaces are getting lost, and that's kind of what we're really [promoting], is the idea of actually getting people to have that experience and get out of the comfort zone.'
The council has undertaken $1.8 million of campground upgrades over the last two years, such as a complete replacement of the sewer system to enable the number of visitors being lifted from 80 to 400 campers a night.
Other improvements include a new barbeque and picnic area, relocated cabins, and new taps and caravan dump stations.
Penny also had plans for other installations, like a new playground, and its use of automated systems and a light presence on the ground aims to ensure that campsites are offered at 'reasonable' prices based on hiring the site, rather than per person fees.
'We're going to try and provide facilities and activities for Nelsonians to actually go up there and enjoy it,' Wagner said.
Long-term residents at the campground aren't expected to see any 'dramatic changes', but will get upgraded Wi-Fi, fixed toilet blocks, and a new laundry machine to 'life the site up', he added.
Wagner and Mayor Nick Smith signed the five-year lease, which includes the right to a five-year renewal, last week.
Smith has welcomed the lease, saying running campgrounds are not the council's core business despite their importance to local tourism.
'By investing in upgrades and partnering with experienced operators like Penny, we're delivering real benefits for the city and our visitor infrastructure,' he said.
'Both the Brook and Maitai campgrounds have previously made losses and required significant upgrades after many years of deferred maintenance. Last year, we successfully leased the Brook campground to the Brook Waimārama Sanctuary Trust and since then camper reviews have been overwhelmingly positive. We're aiming for the same here.'
The campground's rent is set at $40,000 plus GST for the first year, with subsequent years being either the base fee or 9.75% of the camp's gross income, whichever was higher.
Kevrol Limited held the lease for the campground for 17 years. When the lease expired in 2022, they did not want to enter into a new lease as the company was moving away from the area. The council has run the campground since.
Local Democracy Reporting is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air
© Scoop Media
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NZ Herald
20 hours ago
- NZ Herald
Golf: Steven Alker leads major championship; Dame Lydia Ko, Ryan Fox climb leaderboards
Steven Alker has made a strong start in his bid for a 10th win on the PGA Tour Champions. The Kiwi sits in a three-way tie at the top of the leaderboard of the tour's third major championship of the year, the Kaulig Companies Championship, in Ohio. Alker backed
Otago Daily Times
a day ago
- Otago Daily Times
Adventures to unfold on big screen
Some of the best adventure films from across the globe will be shown in Queenstown next week. The annual NZ Mountain Film Festival, now in its 23rd year, this year received a record 294 entries — the final lineup features 64 award-winning and finalist films, including 18 by Kiwi film-makers. Being held at the Queenstown Memorial Centre next Thursday and Friday, the films will also be available to watch online from July 1 to 31. The Thursday session here, from 7pm, starts with a 'social session' before a conversation with Beth Rodden, regarded as one of the greatest rock climbers of all time, who's recently published a memoir, A Light Through the Cracks, from 7.30pm. Four films will then be shown including Trango, directed by Leo Hoorn (US), the grand prize winner this year. The film follows a team of ski mountaineers, including previous NZ Mountain Film Fest guest speaker Christina Lustenberg, of the US, who skied the first descent of the Great Trango Glacier in Pakistan, after a two-year attempt. Navigating risk, grappling with grief and facing physical danger, the team pushes the limits of human experiences, facing the unimaginable together. Other films on Thursday night are Body of a Line (Henna Taylor, US), solo award winner Far Enough (Julien Carot, France), and Alone Across Gola (Jude Kriwald, UK), the best film on adventurous sports and lifestyle. Another seven films will screen during Friday's 'Pure NZ' session, between 3pm and 6pm. They include the community spirit award-winner, Spirit of the West (Pedro Pimentel), which is set against New Zealand's West Coast and captures the spirit of the Old Ghost Ultra, All In or Nothing, directed by Gordon Duff, which won the best documentary award, and follows young athlete Matthew Fairbrother who's up against 120 riders with full support crews as he attempts to win the overall title at the NZ MTB Rally, on his own, and Waiatoto (Josh Morgan and Jasper Gibson), winner of the Hiddleston/MacQueen Award for best NZ-made film. It tells the story of a traverse across the Southern Alps through packraft, skis and tramping. Starting at the Matukituki, Gibson, Nick Pascoe and Charlie Murray travelled via Tititea, the Volta Glacier and the Waiatoto to the Tasman Sea. "We didn't set out to make a film," Pascoe says, "the focus was on a creative adventure through an incredible corner of the country, simply for the sake of it." Rounding out this year's festival is Friday night's 'Snow Show', from 7pm, which includes best snow sports film Painting the Mountains (Pierre Cadot, France), set in El Chalten, a remote Patagonian village beneath Fitz Roy, where three French skiers arrive to pioneer new lines. Tickets to Thursday's session cost $30 ($5 youth discount) and $25 for each of Friday's sessions, with youth discounts. For more info, or to buy tickets, see
Otago Daily Times
a day ago
- Otago Daily Times
Agent's top start rewarded
Sales associate Gareth Ireland picked up his rookie NZ Sotheby's International Realty award in Christchurch. PHOTO: SUPPLIED In a town not short of rookie real estate agents trying to forge a career, Gareth Ireland — a sales associate in New Zealand Sotheby's International Realty's (NZSIR) Queenstown office — already stands out. The 43-year-old, who's been in the industry just over a year, has won 'rookie of the year 2024' out of newbie agents from 27 NZSIR offices. His background's a decade's worth of technology sales in Sydney, Australia, before moving to Queenstown with his Kiwi wife , Anne-Marie, in 2014. They started tourism business Escape Quest which sold in 2013. Ireland, whose business was right beside NZSIR's head office, says he was inspired by their ultra-successful agent Gerard Bligh, along with admiration for the brand, to enter the industry. He got his licence in just six weeks — "typically, most people will study for six months" — and has absolutely loved the job, especially interacting with people. "I think the barriers to success in real estate are quite high — you have to be very focused, determined, and want to help people and get the best outcome." Speaking of outcomes, Ireland's already sold about a dozen properties, on- and off-market, and recently set a record sale price for an 1105 square metre Jack's Point section of $1.35million. Ireland believes his technology sales background — "I have a strong understanding of digital marketing" — and experience as a local business owner's also helped his successful introduction into real estate sales. And, as an extra string to his bow, he's a hobbyist photographer, a skill he puts to use when marketing properties.
