Media Release

Tuesday 3 June 2008,

Musicians and MPs at Youth Rally

Nesian Mystik’s lead vocalist Te Awanaui Reeder and Labour MPs Steve Chadwick and Moana Mackey want to get tobacco out of sight and out of mind.

The trio is taking part in Wednesday’s [4 June] Out of Sight Out of Mind Youth Rally at Lawson Field Theatre. This one-off youth event has been organized by two Gisborne high school students and aims to educate and activate teens to support the ban of tobacco displays.

Co-organiser, Nathaniel Ratapu from Campion College says by the end of Wednesday evening, students will be motivated to add their weight to an important campaign. “While most forms of tobacco advertising were banned in 1990, there are still in-store tobacco displays called powerwalls. We want students to become active citizens opposed to smoking and cigarette displays.”

Nathaniel and his co-organiser Rory McCourt from Lytton High School hope to gather hundreds of signatures during the event for a joint letter to the country’s Members of Parliament in support of the ban on tobacco displays.

“We know from research overseas that recent quitters can get an urge to buy cigarettes after seeing tobacco displays,” said Nathaniel.

“It’s about fighting the good fight,” said Rory, who along with Nathaniel is a Cancer Society Youth Ambassador for the East Coast Region.

Nesian Mystik’s lead singer Te Awanui Reeder will be at the event. Reeder and other influential New Zealand celebrities currently front the Smoking Not Our Future campaign on television. He says in his line of work, it is not okay to be a smoker.

“It can’t be part of the work I do. I can travel with what I do, and I can meet wonderful people and have wonderful experiences and if I smoke, that will affect it, and I don’t want to do that. My life is pretty good.”

Out of Sight Out of Mind will also feature local band Rafiki Jump, youth advocate Manu Caddie, a Lytton High theatre production, a film from Revolution Youth Media, prizes and giveaways.

Out of Sight out of Mind is supported by the Cancer Society of New Zealand Gisborne-East Coast Centre Trust, and Taki Tahi Toa Mano.

Out of Sight Out of Mind Youth Rally, Lawson Field Theatre, Wednesday 4 June, 7pm-9pm.

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