The indulgence of good-family-and-good-school teenagers in serious drug dealing in their homes in Auckland's should be a warning to all parents, schools and ultimately society and those who govern on our behalf.
No matter how well parents and schools prepare their children, or perceive they have prepared their children, there is always the chance of a teen running off the rails.
So it apparently was with Elias Smith and Nick Barker who at the time of their offending started were pupils at Albany Senior High, rated 10 on the decile scale used to classify school communities — Decile 1 being seriously deprived, 10 meaning somewhat affluent.
But, where are the questions so often posed when serious crime hits the court: Bad upbringing? Where were the parents? What were they doing?
It may sound or feel harsh to be asking such questions of parents who may otherwise have been seen as beyond reproach.