Willowbank Wildlife Reserve in Christchurch. Composite Image / NZME
Parents have voiced frustration after a Hato Hone St John youth festival, involving “graphic” simulated medical emergencies, was held at a popular Christchurch wildlife park over the weekend.
The annual National St John Youth New Zealand festival runs for 48 hours, with competitions staged to closely mimic real-life emergency scenarios.
For the first time, the festival was hosted at Willowbank Wildlife Reserve, a well-known nature park home to a range of native and exotic animals.
Several parents took to social media following the weekend, criticising the decision to hold the event at the park during the busy school holiday period.
One parent wrote that their child had been left traumatised by what they had seen.
“Anyone else’s child distressed and traumatised by Willowbanks St John even [sic] today?”, they wrote on a local parenting page.
“Fake blood, exposed entrails, and a woman repeatedly screaming, ‘He’s dying’.”
The parent said there were “no appropriate warnings of the graphic nature of the simulations” and that visitors had little ability to avoid the scenes because of the park’s closed-loop track.
Another parent said their child “never wants to go back” after visiting with a grandparent on Sunday.
“They saw the signs, but had no idea there would be graphic blood/organs and such traumatic scenes,” they wrote.
“One of my children is traumatised, had nightmares and never wants to go back to Willowbank.”
A third parent described turning a corner with their 5-year-old to find a man lying on the ground covered in fake blood.
“My 5-year-old screamed and got scared as we walked around the corner. We thought they could of done that somewhere else.”
The parent said they later explained the situation to their child, telling them the people involved were learning, but added the scenes could be “very traumatic for a child who doesn’t understand”.
Kerry Mitchell, Hato Hone St John national youth manager, said it had not received any formal complaints, but was questioned by parents regarding why the festival had been held at the wildlife park.
“Hato Hone St John is sorry to hear that some parents have expressed concern about the first aid training component of our National Youth Festival,” Mitchell said.
“We have not received any formal complaints regarding the activity.
“However, a small number of parents queried why we were holding the activity there.”
Mitchell said the scenarios were designed to help prepare youth members to respond appropriately in an emergency before an ambulance arrives.
“The St John Youth programme aims to develop confident, capable young people who can remain calm and provide help during an emergency before emergency ambulance teams arrive on scene.”
He said the National Youth Festival was a flagship event in the St John Youth calendar bringing together teams from across Aotearoa New Zealand who trained for six weeks to represent their regions.
“Over the two‑day event, cadets are assessed on leadership, teamwork, and communication skills," he said.
“On the second day, they take part in simulated first aid scenarios in public settings.”
Kerry said Hato Hone St John promoted the event on its social media channels, which were also shared by Willowbank itself.
He said clear signage was displayed at the entrance to Willowbank Wildlife Reserve ahead of time, explaining that first aid simulations would be occurring.
Visitors also received a copy of this information on arrival, he said.
“St John members were also positioned to actively shield some scenarios from younger children, and any fake blood used was minimal,” he said.
“When some interested visitors asked staff what was happening, parents who were present explained to their children that the situations were not real.
“While we took steps to inform visitors, we acknowledge the concerns raised and will reflect on how we can make warnings clearer and more explicit in future.”
Kerry said they were also conscious that the park was also home to a variety of animals.
“After discussions with Willowbank staff, we ensured there was no loud yelling or screaming from participants so as not to upset the animals.”
Kerry said life-threatening emergencies did not just happen at home or inside, and the public arena helped cadets prepare to “step up and help save lives anywhere at any time”.
He said previously that the first aid aspect of the National Youth Festival was held in public places such as Hagley Park.
“Willowbank Wildlife Reserve was supportive of the first aid event being held at the park and is a strong supporter of the work that Hato Hone St John does in the community.”
Kerry said planning was underway for next year’s National Youth Festival, but it was undecided where the first aid scenario competition section would be held.
When approached by the Herald, Willowbank Wildlife Reserve referred all comments to Hato Hone St John and said it would not be commenting on the festival.