Outdoors Solution to NZ’s Struggling Teenagers

Council of Outdoor Recreation Associations of NZ

Recent reports of New Zealand adolescents ranking high in OECD countries’ teenage suicide and pregnancies rates suggest a much deeper problem and the need for a culture-shift by governments with recognition of the value of outdoor recreation says the Council of Outdoor Recreation Associations of New Zealand (CORANZ) .

Andi Cockroft, CORANZ chairman was commenting on a report that New Zealand ranks poorly in terms of adolescent suicide, pregnancies and deaths related to cancer and respiratory illness, according to British healthcare think tank Nuffield Trust. New Zealand’s Neuroscience educator Nathan Wallis said the results were concerning.

"We've got this idea that New Zealand is this wonderful, clean, green, beautiful nation that is a wonderful place to raise children, so this paints a different picture,” said Nathan Wallis

CORANZ’s Andi Cockroft said New Zealanders were being duped by an imagined "God-zone self portrayal". He said the outdoors was a great playground for youngsters to learn observational and outdoor skills, to get physical exercise and mental stimulation and good values, but was being eroded by development, exploitation and bureaucratic policies.

“The fact is governments are not serving young people well and policies are directly or indirectly, blocking public access to the outdoors.”

There was a very good model for youth education in Outward Bound in the Marlborough Sounds but the philosophy was ignored by governments. Referring to "loss of access to the outdoors" he said numerous policies of government were factors. He cited dirty rivers where rivers like Canterbury’s Selwyn once a fully flowing, clean clear river but now mostly summer dry, algae infested stones was once a revered trout and swimming river. Many other rivers around New Zealand have summer warnings of toxic algae due to depleted flows and nutrient leaching from dairying.

Other government policies adversely impacted directly or indirectly on the public’s outdoors. The widespread use of poisons such as 1080 was not only unjustified but ecologically disruptive and poisoning public lands. An open door policy of successive governments over decades to foreigners buying high country and farm land often resulted in locked gates and denials of access. Saltwater fisheries “ management” gave commercial fishing companies interests far higher ranking than recreational fishing.

“Yet just looking at it economically recreational fishing stimulates over a billion dollars a year in economic activity."

“The list goes on and on where governments out of ignorance have let the public and particularly youngsters down by policies allowing the despoiling of the outdoors,” he said. “The solution to helping young Kiwis out of their predicament is a recognition of the priceless value of outdoor recreation whether it be fishing, hunting, tramping or others, to youngsters. Get them out in the fresh air and country."

However, from once being an outdoor-minded, active people, New Zealanders have become sedentary, stressed, uncertain and often lost. Youth’s values were being corrupted by an obsession with social media, with ugly behavioural patterns of blackmailing and bullying. Social media bullying was a prominent factor world wide in teenage suicides.

"Get them to put aside this addiction to technology and get back to basics based around the outdoors,” he said.

Andi Cockroft said governments had failed to appreciate the value of outdoor recreation with its physical activity and mental benefits, that built confidence and self esteem in young people.

He said a Horizon survey several years ago showed fishing to have five times more participants than rugby. Yet government, society and media gave far more attention to rugby than outdoor recreation such as fishing.

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