Councillors aghast: booklet discusses what young people actually spend their time doing

Phrases in booklet concern council
By BETH CATLEY

A booklet produced by the Nelson Youth Council describing Anzac Park as a nice setting for "the occasional spot of underage drinking" has prompted a "please explain" from Nelson city councillors.

The Top 50 Things To Do (in the Nelson Region) was produced by the youth council last year, but on Tuesday youth councillor Alexandra Jackson was forced to defend the publication at a meeting of the city council's community services committee.

The council had received a complaint from a concerned citizen when the booklet was reprinted this year.

The offending sections advertised the Church Steps as being "for those who enjoy a spot of recreational public drinking or a spot of romance under the starry skies", and Anzac Park as "a popular spot for picnics, afternoon naps in the sun and the occasional spot of dodgy underage drinking".

Cr Jan Fryer led the criticism of the booklet, saying the offending paragraphs were brought to her attention "the very day" her husband, who works for Nelmac, had his life threatened by drunks in Anzac Park.

"I don't like the thought of him going to work each day not knowing whether he'll come home or not and this sort of thing. Although I can see it was written in a tongue-in-cheek way, it doesn't help."

She was relieved the city council was not associated with the guide, she said. The city council logo was not printed on the booklet.

Cr Gail Collingwood said while it was a "great little booklet", she did not think it should be "encouraging people to do something illegal".

Cr Denise Henigan defended the guide, and said although she did not agree with some of the items she had not really noticed them until the complaint was laid.

"Young people have a different sort of voice, a different way of talking and that's reflected in there."

Miss Jackson said the guide had been well-received by young people, and positive feedback had come from the Ministry of Youth Development about it. "It's a little bit sarcastic."

This was the kind of writing young people wanted to read, as it made the guide more interesting, she said.

- Nelson Mail, 12 October 2005