NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather forecasts

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
    • The Great NZ Road Trip
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
    • Cooking the Books
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • What the Actual
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

Darrell Turner: Nudists folk-devils for moral panic

By Darrell Turner
NZ Herald·
8 Jan, 2012 04:30 PM5 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Nude bathing is not illegal in areas where it is known to occur, but may be prosecutable on mainstream beaches where it may cause offence. Photo / Thinkstock

Nude bathing is not illegal in areas where it is known to occur, but may be prosecutable on mainstream beaches where it may cause offence. Photo / Thinkstock

Opinion

Naked swimmers are proving an easy target for those with their own hang-ups and prejudices, writes Darrell Turner.

There are a few things worth raising in the coverage of the issue of nudists at Ladies Bay. Declaration of interest: I am a nudist and beach user who has used beaches here and overseas. I'm also about to embark on a PhD studying this topic and the ongoing perception of nudism as a form of deviance.

The editorial in Saturday's Weekend Herald is problematic. Contrary to what your paper and many of your correspondents believe, it is not illegal to be simply naked on a beach where nudity is commonly known to occur. At least two landmark court cases to this effect have established the definitional boundaries of offensive behaviour and the benchmark of legally defensible public nudity in specific locations, Ladies Bay and Uretiti being such places.

Thus, nudity that would be legally defensible on Ladies Bay would most likely be indefensible on a mainstream beach such as St Heliers or Mission Bay, or on a street (a situation that has been tested in law).

Many of the problems described come under the bounds of offensive behaviour and legal mechanisms exist to deal with them.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Additionally, the Free Beach group sought a legal opinion regarding the legality of bylaws aimed at banning beach nudity. That opinion stated that such bylaws would be legally shaky as they seek to illegalise an activity that statute law has declared to be not illegal.

My understanding is that this led to Kapiti District Council's decision to expunge its beach nudity bylaw.

The editorial also fails to distinguish between people who simply want to swim and sunbathe nude versus the various forms of perverse behaviour. I find it offensive that a person in authority, such as an editor, should ignore this distinction and give an impression that tars all naked beach-goers with the same brush.

There are beach nudity advocacy groups that have been trying to deal with the problems highlighted.

In Tauranga, a partnership between the police, local authority, beach users and the owners of the dunes behind Papamoa has helped keep a lid on similar problems but it has been very difficult to achieve a similar outcome or working relationship in Auckland because of difficulties in dealing with the relevant authorities.

Discover more

New Zealand

'Prancing' nudists upset tourists

05 Jan 04:30 PM
New Zealand

Crowds arrive to check out nudists

06 Jan 04:30 PM
Opinion

Kerre Woodham: Hail the body beautiful

14 Jan 04:30 PM
New Zealand

Nudists' event outrages Tauranga locals

27 Jan 12:58 AM

Nudists also pay rates and taxes but use (or are consigned to) the dreg beaches that nobody else wants and, as a proportion of the total coastline, the stretch used by nudists is minuscule.

I agree that warning signs would help reduce misunderstandings but a live-and-let-live attitude, rather than Victorian-style control-freakery, is needed in Auckland. There seems to be very little support from the authorities in Auckland to recognise this aspect of cultural diversity.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

I think the call for residents to reclaim Ladies Bay is misplaced. They would have done so already if they had wanted to. Perhaps they choose not to go to there for the same reason I stopped using it as a nudist: it is very difficult to access, unswimmable at low tide, lacks shade, lacks the sorts of facilities that ordinary people want (toilets, running water, shops), is covered in rubbish left by (non-nudist) drunks and troublemakers, and is covered in rock oyster shells that leave weeping sores if you cut yourself on them. Unfortunately, this same inaccessibility makes it difficult to police so such beaches attract the sorts of troublemakers who go down there knowing they can cause mischief with relative impunity.

Concerning Chinese tourist Zhang Ke-Wen: His children would have gone to quite some effort to get to the beach. My experience from being at Ladies Bay was that tour groups (predominantly but not exclusively Asian) come out to Achilles Point. They would then come down to get a close look at the nudists. It seems to be a feature of mass organised tourism to treat locals like zoo exhibits and it sounds to me that whoever chased Zhang's kids were sick of being treated that way.

My advice would be that it is the responsibility of the tour guides to warn about nudity. They are supposed to have some local knowledge and enough discretion to discern whether their customers are likely to be offended or not.

It is probably a subtle point but I think if we look back in history, ladies did not swim nude at Ladies Bay. Women in the Victorian era were often expected to swim (or take the waters) clothed while men had the privilege of swimming nude away from the prying eyes of women, which would explain why Gentleman's Bay is further around the point from St Heliers. This prohibition against swimming naked was later extended to men. There is a whole history behind this and it is my job to unpack it, but it goes a long way toward explaining why nude beaches are predominantly male-dominated and why some New Zealanders have an aversion to public nudity.

Finally, regarding the general discourse that kids shouldn't see nudity. Kids don't care - it's their parents who have the hang-ups and they inherited them from their parents and so forth. There is plenty of research to show that nudism is not harmful. Much of this debate is, I think, driven by a moral panic over paedophilia, and nudists are a particular type of convenient folk-devil.

Darrell Turner MA (Hons) is a mentor in the Tuakana Stage 2 and 3 Postgraduate Pathways Programme at Auckland University's Department of Sociology.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save

    Share this article

Latest from New Zealand

New Zealand

'How they do it in the West Coast': Man disfigures family dog in drunken attack

09 May 03:36 AM
New Zealand

Thunderstorms, heavy downpours tipped for Auckland and North Island during rush-hour

09 May 03:35 AM
New Zealand

'Prime focus': Avocado industry targets global markets

09 May 03:08 AM

One tiny baby’s fight to survive

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from New Zealand

'How they do it in the West Coast': Man disfigures family dog in drunken attack

'How they do it in the West Coast': Man disfigures family dog in drunken attack

09 May 03:36 AM

Ronan Apiti said Buck the dog was like one of his children.

Thunderstorms, heavy downpours tipped for Auckland and North Island during rush-hour

Thunderstorms, heavy downpours tipped for Auckland and North Island during rush-hour

09 May 03:35 AM
'Prime focus': Avocado industry targets global markets

'Prime focus': Avocado industry targets global markets

09 May 03:08 AM
'Scene of utter devastation': Shopkeeper had only just moved in when Winz fire destroyed shop

'Scene of utter devastation': Shopkeeper had only just moved in when Winz fire destroyed shop

09 May 03:00 AM
Connected workers are safer workers 
sponsored

Connected workers are safer workers 

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • What the Actual
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven CarGuide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP