The hard word has gone on parents as Wanaka police grapple with an increase in alcohol-fuelled issues following an influx of young people into the holiday hotspot. Police and community leaders are urging parents to keep tabs on their children and show respect for the community during the busy New Year period. Queenstown Lakes district deputy mayor Calum MacLeod said parents arrived in Wanaka with their teenage children, then wanted to head out and celebrate, leaving the teens to wander the streets in "gaggles". Those groups seemed to be getting larger and larger, and while Wanaka was seen to be a safe place, there had been incidents and assaults in the past. Alcohol harm prevention service Red Frogs Otago officially started work in Wanaka on Wednesday, but said volunteers had seen the same issues police were dealing with.

Source: Otago Daily Times December 30, 2021 15:34 UTC