Matua alcohol-free event goes wrong

An alcohol-free party organised by a group of enterprising young people last weekend at Matua Park was spoiled when a large number (approx 300) of local youths aged 14-17yrs chose not pay the $5 to enter the event but instead milled-around, many in possession of quantities of alcohol . The young people were dispersed without any issues by the Police. A front page article reported one nasty incident where a local resident got into a confrontation with a group of drunken youths and was beaten up.

The following day, the Matua Residents Assn chairman Richard Kluit explained that permission had been granted to the organisers to use the Park because they were trying to do something positive and provide an activity for local youth. He acknowledged that they should have taken a closer look at the proposal. He described them as "good kids from good families with nothing to do but hang out and drink alcohol". He visited the event at 11.00pm and described the scene: " It was not a pack of hoons - they were kids from our neighbourhood". He stated they were well-dressed and not looking for trouble.

For Richard Kluit, the incident highlights an on-going situation where "week in and week out these kids are gathering somewhere...carrying their booze and gathering for little parties, sometimes in parks. When something is organised, then arrive en-masse". The two issues facing the community was giving the kids something to do on Friday and Saturday nights, and the problems associated with easy access to alcohol. He asks "if the parents are supplying the alcohol, why shouldn't the parents take more responsibility?"

I applaud Richard Kluit's attitude and his assessment of the situation. The "Summer to Remember" campaign that featured in an earlier blog reinforces the risks of adults supplying teens alcohol in unsupervised environments. The campaign challenges parents to have the conversation with their teens about drinking and set limits around their access to alcohol. We are already working on a new campaign with ALAC to further emphasise parental responsibility and offering a 'toolkit' for parents to engage with their teens.