Community airs concerns about youth
Around 30 people turned out to a meeting in Stoke to vent about youth violence and behaviour in the Nelson suburb.
The meeting, held on Friday evening at Pūtangitangi Greenmeadows Community Centre, was organised by Nelson MP Rachel Boyack in response to reports of ‘‘quite antisocial behaviour’’ of some youth in Stoke.
Boyack previously told Stuff she had been told of incidents of young people being assaulted by other youths, poor behaviour at the swimming pool, and poor behaviour on school grounds.
While the meeting was public, media were asked not to attend.
Those who came included Graeme Johnson, the 82-year-old man who was recently attacked by three young women at a nearby service station.
Many residents shared their experiences and concerns with anti-social behaviour from youth outside of school hours.
Boyack said in a statement that she was pleased with the turnout, the willingness of residents to share their stories, and their ideas to help people feel safe in their community.
At the meeting, Whanake Youth manager Lee-Ann O’Brien said there were three things that youth needed to be engaged: ‘‘a place to belong, a way to contribute to their community, and people that care about them’’.
Youth counsellors Estella and
Te Haupai Davis said if there was an issue with rangatahi (youth), they must be involved in finding the solution.
Boyack said she had been meeting with school principals to ensure they had the support they needed.
Suggestions to improve safety included putting on events for young people, listening to them, and making sure they had the services they needed to thrive.
People are proud to live in Stoke and want it to be a safe space for everyone who lives here, Boyack said.
‘‘We really encourage people to report to police any incidents that occur, so that police have the most accurate data on incidents in the area.’’
This would ‘‘help shape where they put their resource’’.
Nelson Police area commander Steve Collins said it was good to hear the concerns of the Stoke community.
While Collins said he didn’t want to ‘‘demonise our youth’’, he recognised that there were problems.