Legal, Safety & Responsible Stays

Before accepting guests, check your local council and district plan rules. A simple driveway park-up may be treated differently from a regular paid accommodation activity, a campground, a homestay, or visitor accommodation. Rules can depend on your district, property zoning, number of guests, facilities, access, parking, wastewater, noise, frequency of stays, and whether payment or koha is involved.

Under the Camping-Grounds Regulations 1985, land used for rent, hire, donation, or other reward by two or more independent families or parties placing temporary living places may be treated as a camping ground. Temporary living places include vehicles, caravans, tents, cabins, or similar structures used for short-term human habitation.

• If you are new to hosting, start with one vehicle / one party at a time.
• Avoid hosting multiple independent parties unless you have checked council registration, camping ground rules, and any exemption process.
• Keep stays short and clearly framed as guest stays, not tenancy arrangements.

If your site does not provide toilet access, it should be marked as 'self-contained vehicles only'. From 7 June 2026, certified self-contained vehicles need to meet the newer green warrant requirements, including having a fixed toilet. Portable toilets alone will not be enough for certification under the new system.

• Toilet provided: you may choose whether to accept self-contained or non-self-contained vehicles, subject to your council and property rules.
• No toilet provided: set your listing to certified self-contained only.
• Always be clear about what facilities are and are not available.

Hosts should be clear about rubbish, recycling, greywater, and toilet waste. Unless you specifically provide approved facilities, travellers must take waste away and use approved dump stations. Waste must never be buried, poured onto land, tipped into drains, or left behind. Read ParkUp's Responsible Camping Standards for practical guidance on toilets, greywater, rubbish, host rules, and caring for land.

• Rubbish allowed onsite? Yes / No
• Recycling available? Yes / No
• Greywater disposal available? Yes / No
• Toilet waste disposal available? Yes / No
• Nearest dump station notes

Before hosting, contact your insurer or broker and explain what you intend to offer. Standard home, contents, rural, or lifestyle block insurance may not automatically cover paying guests, short-term visitors, guest injury, vehicle damage, fire, theft, deliberate damage, or business-style activity.

• Tell your insurer you are considering occasional short-term vehicle park-ups.
• Ask about public liability.
• Ask whether paid, koha, or free stays are treated differently.
• Ask whether guest vehicles, pets, fires, farm hazards, driveways, gates, and shared facilities affect cover.
• Do not assume platform terms replace insurance.

Income from hosting may need to be declared. If ParkUp later enables payments, GST and online marketplace rules may apply. For now, hosts should keep clear records of any money, koha, work exchange, or other benefit received.

• Keep records of stays and payments.
• Talk to a tax adviser or IRD if you are unsure.
• ParkUp should not enable in-app payments until legal, tax, privacy, and security checks are complete.

Be careful with work exchange. If someone works for accommodation, food, or another benefit, employment law may apply. A traveller who helps casually as part of a friendly exchange is different from someone doing expected labour in return for a stay. If work is expected, scheduled, or valuable to a business, get advice first.

Hosts should make the stay area safe and clearly described.

• Safe vehicle access
• No hidden hazards
• Clear parking area
• No overhanging branches or unstable ground
• Clear pet/livestock rules
• Fire rules stated clearly
• Emergency contact instructions
• No open fires unless clearly allowed and safe
• Exact address shared only after stay approval
• Host rules visible before booking request

Some ParkUp sites may only accept certified self-contained vehicles. If a host does not provide toilet access, you may need to be certified self-contained to stay there. From 7 June 2026, this means the newer green warrant standard.

• Is your vehicle certified self-contained?
• Does it have a green warrant?
• Does your toilet meet the fixed toilet requirement?
• Is your warrant card displayed if required?
• Have you entered your vehicle length accurately?

Every property is different. Follow the host's rules around arrival time, departure time, pets, fires, gates, noise, rubbish, wastewater, toilets, and where to park.

Take all rubbish and waste with you unless the host clearly provides facilities. Use approved dump stations for greywater and toilet waste. Do not dump waste on land, in drains, near waterways, or in public bins not intended for camping waste.

ParkUp works because hosts trust travellers. Stay only where approved, do not invite extra people without permission, keep noise low, protect animals and crops, and leave the site better than you found it.