A New Zealand high school is copping flak for giving out packs containing condoms and a cab charge voucher to students attending a ball.
Alan Liddle, the principal of Te Puke High School in the Bay of Plenty, said they intended to help students make better choices when they attended the ball last Saturday.
But New Zealand Family First director Bob McCoskrie said he was shocked the package contained condoms.
"The underlying message to students is that the ball is not about a fun social occasion with their peers, but about an expected opportunity to have sex," he said.
"That is a foolish and dangerous message to be sending."
The school undermined the role of parental supervision by giving away the condoms without parental notification or permission, Mr McCoskrie said.
Mr Liddle said the criticism was a "beat-up" and the inclusion of condoms had nothing to do with the promotion of sex.
"This really disappoints me. It was there to help people," he told NZPA.
The package was put together by a student-driven health committee and contained several items to promote students' safety.
"If we're talking about teenage pregnancies and STIs being a major problem in today's society, I actually think that the kids have thought responsibly about this. They weren't promoting anything," Mr Liddle said.
"By giving a taxi chit (cab charge voucher), they're not promoting drinking.
"They're just giving them support if they need help.
"I think that's what we need to focus on - how can we support our kids to make better choices?"
If people did not want the condoms Mr Liddle said "they could chuck them away".
AAP
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