Rotorua i-Site staff members have been assigned as camping ambassadors at free camping sites around the district.

But it seems the ambassadors will operate as more of monitoring unit than to police the facilities.

In a statement, the council says: 'They [the ambassadors] are not there in an enforcement capacity, but if they notice anything untoward, they'll report back to the appropriate channels”.

The council says such appointments are the first in the country.

Acting in teams of two, the ambassadors have already started to visit five popular, free camping sites in and around Rotorua each evening.

Besides assisting campers, they are expected to check facilities and report back to the council if repairs or cleaning are necessary.

They form part of a national programme helping to educate travellers about New Zealand's commitment to a tidy, clean and safe environment as the country prepares for another busy tourist season.

Destination Rotorua's Visitor Services Executive Manager Graham Brownrigg says he sees it as an opportunity to extend the friendly visitor services his team already provides.

'We're here to help people have the best experience in Rotorua and I see this initiative as a great way to support that,” says Graham.

'I got on board from the start because I saw it as another opportunity for our i-SITE staff to meet and greet visitors, providing responsible camping advice and directing them to some of the great things to do and see in Rotorua.

'We already offer manaakitanga to around 1.4 million people each year, so this new initiative seemed like a natural extension of our work.”

The new ambassadors began their new roles late last week but didn't have much to report on.

'It was a bit quiet out there,” says Graham.