Camping ground guidelines

Camping grounds must be registered and inspected on an annual basis, and comply with a number of legal requirements including:

The Health Act 1956

Health (Registration of Premises) Regulations 1966 

Camping-Ground Regulations 1985

The regulations do not apply to facilities for group camping such as scouts or a school group.

Exemptions may be granted by Council for camping grounds with:

• limited facilities for campers using self-contained vehicles
• limited facilitates for glamping

Should you wish to apply for a Certificate of Exemption please contact the health team by email health@southlanddc.govt.nz or phone on 0800 732 732.

Before applying for a registration certificate, check if you also need:

Food registration

Your proposed business must comply with the Food Act 2014.  If you intend to prepare or sell food, you will need to register as a food business.  Details on how to apply can be found on the food page.

The design and construction of any facilities used in the food business must meet the requirements of the Camping-Grounds Regulations 1985 and the New Zealand Building Code.

Resource consent

Your proposed business must comply with District Plan rules. We recommend getting in touch with our planning team to discuss any requirements by phoning 0800 732 732 or emailing general@southlanddc.govt.nz.

Find out more about resource consents.

Building consent

Your proposed business must comply with the Building Act 2004. We recommend getting in touch with our building team to discuss your project and clarify any requirements by phoning 0800 732 732 or emailing general@southlanddc.govt.nz.

Further details are available on the building services page.

Here is a checklist of our requirements:

• Completed health registration application form 
• Copy of camp plan (as required by the Camping-Ground Regulations 1985 – Regulation 4)
• Payment of the application fee 
  • Refer to our fees and charges for the application fee
  • Refer to the application form for instructions on how to make a payment

One year unless withdrawn earlier by Council.  If the licence holder wants to continue use of the area after the expiry date, a renewal is to be applied for prior to expiry.

Fees for other registered premises are available here.

A full schedule of Southland District Council’s fees and charges is available here fees and charges page.

The first inspection is carried out prior to trade starting and the issue of a registration certificate, and yearly thereafter.

For advice on registering a camping ground or making changes to an existing business please contact the health team by email health@southlanddc.govt.nz or phone on 0800 732 732.

To contact our other teams Planning, Building, and Water and Waste email general@southlanddc.govt.nz or phone 0800 732 732.