Free condoms to be commended, says MP

Green MP Nandor Tanczos says student organisers of Edgewater College's school ball should be congratulated for offering a free condom with each ticket.

He said other school ball organisers ought to show a similar commitment to keeping young people safe.

Mr Tanczos, the Green Party's Youth Affairs spokesperson, said he was disappointed that moral indignation had forced Edgewater College into a 'condom recall', saying that New Zealand had to take practical steps to reduce its unacceptably high teenage pregnancy rate.

"It's sad that New Zealand teenagers still have to deal with a head-in-the-sand attitude," he said.

"Some people seem to think that the best way to avoid teenage pregnancy is simply not to talk about it."

He said supplying condoms at a school ball was not an invitation for students to have sex. It was simply a creative idea to help students avoid an unplanned pregnancy or STD that could affect them for the rest of their lives.

"Let's remember that the handouts also included advice on saying no to sex.

"New Zealand's teen pregnancy rate is ranked third out of 119 industrial nations, showing a willingness for young people to have sex even without contraception.

He said Edgewater's student-run Peer Sexuality Support Team had a much better handle on the situation than adults, who seem to have forgotten what they themselves were doing when they were teenagers.