Call to tighten New Zealand law that allows public pooing if no one watching

Camping association wants overhaul of law to ensure that waste is properly buried and at least 50 metres from nearest waterway

A New Zealand law allowing people to poo in public - so long as they do not think they are being watched - must be tightened, says a freedom camping association, amid long-running allegations that campers are to blame for much of the human waste in the natural environment.

It is currently an offence to defecate or urinate in a public place (other than in a public lavatory), but, if the person can show they had reasonable grounds for believing they were not being observed, they may be able to escape a $200 fine.