Panic ensued this week after it was revealed that young people have been going to summer music festivals, listening to music – and in some cases even getting drunk. 

As a report for RNZ revealed, there has been a crackdown on outdoor festivals all through the summer, with four postponed and another four cancelled outright. 

In December Juicy Fest, a nostalgia-tinged hip-hop festival, was cancelled after the police opposed their liquor license, citing ‘excessive consumption of alcohol.’ Many fans were unable to see the Ludacris acts they had looked forward to, while others were left feeling that their Akon tickets were a con. 

Laneway festival was forced to return some tickets after police opposed its liquor license. The police said they suspected that ‘there were many more intoxicated people in the crowd’ than had been reported.  

At Summer Haze festival, ‘at least 18’ police officers reportedly ‘stood in a line across the Wharepai Domain for the entire evening,’ despite RNZ declaring it ‘a very mellow night’ and the festival organiser claiming there had been ‘zero issues.’ (It was not clear how many of the officers involved were fans of The Roots.) 

In a statement, the police insisted that they had simply allocated ‘sufficient staff to rotate through hydration.’ They also declared that hi-vis vests have ‘a calming effect’ on crowds. And that officers ‘kept a close eye on the venue's single bar.’  

One thing that is quite clear is that the forces of law and order have not been overreacting in the slightest. When RNZ asked for evidence to support claims of ‘high levels’ of intoxication and skullduggery at music festivals, a police spokesman stated, reassuringly, that ‘it’s anecdotal.’ 

Doubtless to contribute to this impressive evidence base, KiwiBurn festival asked punters last week ‘to come forward with the names of those’ who had engaged in a number of harmful practices including ‘trespassing’ and ‘uncool language.’ 

Despite this imposing body of social science research, a spokesperson from the Events Association nevertheless posed a counterpoint. ‘We have data,’ she said, which suggests ‘that intox rates are trending downwards.’ 

This fits with what studies have found in other English-speaking countries: that Gen Z are actually less likely to use alcohol or drugs than any previous generation. They are, in fact, the most puritanical, fun-despising generation in living memory. 

Now there’s something to be concerned about.