Family First backs Taupō mother ‘horrified’ by naked swimmers
NZ Herald 24 January 2020
Family First Comment: “freedom of expression must never be at the expense of the right to protect children and families from offensive and inappropriate behaviour. Public nudity will offend against generally prevailing community standards of decency. Most families don’t want their children being confronted by naked men and women or ‘adult behaviour’… It is not for those families to ‘get out of the way’.”
Lobby group Family First has put its support behind a Taupō mother who said she was “horrified” by naked swimmers in the district.
Katrina Payne said 14 naked men and women at a popular swimming spot on Monday night deserved to be fined, after they arrived at Spa Thermal Park, where she swam with her 13-year-old daughter Hollie.
The public reserve is in need of a “g-string ban” according to other concerned Taupō mothers who spoke to NZME earlier this month.
In a public statement, Family First’s national director Bob McCoskrie has called on councils “to amend their bylaws to clarify clearly that nudity is banned from public places”.
He said: “freedom of expression must never be at the expense of the right to protect children and families from offensive and inappropriate behaviour.”
“Public nudity will offend against generally prevailing community standards of decency.”
In his opinion: “Most families don’t want their children being confronted by naked men and women or ‘adult behaviour’… It is not for those families to ‘get out of the way’.”
“It is also important to note that family nakedness in the home is completely different to stranger nakedness in public… These ‘show-ponies’ should be told to cover up and do it at home.”
Taupō mayor David Tewavas told NZME today councillors hadn’t discussed the issue and it was “a matter of the common courtesies of life”.
“The town is absolutely jam-packed with people, chock-a-block with visitors at the moment.”
http://nzh.tw/12303088 (behind paywall)
