Tourism Minister Louise Upston is set to meet with the mayor to address concerns over tourists trashing the Putāruru Blue Spring.
Waikato Regional Council chairperson Warren Maher raised concerns about the site being trashed by tourists. These tourists were said to be clogging composting toilets with rubbish, tossing coins into the spring, and parking unsafely on the roadside.
Upston visited the spring on Thursday and generally saw sensible behaviour from visitors. She said local businesses were very positive about the number of visitors and their spending in the district.
Maher suggested councils could receive a share of the international visitor levy to maintain cleanliness at tourist sites.
Upston noted funding was available, including the International Visitor Levy, with some tourism funds already targeting hotspot issues. On Putāruru specifically, she understood the South Waikato District Mayor was exploring a park-and-ride option to lessen visitor impacts, with other funding avenues available for upkeep.
She said they needed to weigh whether short-term action during peak visitor periods would suffice or if a longer-term solution was required.