Youth camp and nudists don’t mix

Press, 4 August 1977, Page 2

Youth camp and nudists don’t mix

If the North Canterbury Catchment Board had been more “clear sighted” it would not have leased land to a nudist club adjacent to land already leased to a church group,’ the board’s reserves committee was told yesterday. Mr R. F. Stead said he realised a person would have no choice about neighbours if he leased a place in Worcester Street, but in allowing the Christchurch Naturist Club to lease land adjacent to the Church of the Nazarene’s leasehold block, he wondered if the board had been as “clear sighted” as it could have been. "In this case we did have some control, and I think it is poor that we overlooked this aspect,” he said.

A letter from the superintendent of the church (Mr W. Porter) said that the land was to have been used for a youth camp but was now quite unsuitable. He therefore asked the board to end its lease of the 13.5 ha block at McLeans Island.

The church was given the lease in 1974, but in December, 1975, the Christchurch Naturist Club took over the lease of the adjacent block of 14ha from the Yaldhurst Shaft and Harness Club. Both leases were for 21 years, with automatic rights of renewal. Last December the church objected to having nudists as neighbours, because it made it almost impossible for the church to teach its beliefs on modesty and purity of motives to the children it hoped to have at the camp. In his letter, Mr Porter asked if the board would keep the church’s youth camp in mind. The reserves administrator (Mr A. C. Norton) said he was sure there would be something suitable in the future developments at McLeans Island.

Referring to the nudist club, the committee’s chairman (Mr T. Double) said: “We lease land to people who comply with the bylaws. As far as the church is concerned, I suggest we accept the surrender of the lease if it pays the outstanding rent of $66.”