By RNZ

People who went to a Kiwiburn festival last month have told RNZ they did not see any unacceptable behaviour at the event, after calls for witnesses to come forward.

New Zealand’s version of Burning Man takes place in Hunterville, Rangitīkei, and this year was held from January 22 to 27 and attended by about 2400 people.

Organisers published a note on the event’s website earlier this month, saying they were aware of some inappropriate behaviour taking place at this year’s festival.

It asked anyone who “encountered unsavoury behaviour, such as non-consensual bum-slapping, trespassing, uncool language, theft, sex acts … or open masturbation” to come forward with names, times and locations.

Earlier this week a person, speaking for a group, told RNZ inappropriate behaviour took place during the burning of the effigy, possibly with children present.

Since publishing its first story, RNZ has heard from other attendees who say they did not experience inappropriate behaviour.

Andrew Cook, who had been to a number of Kiwiburn events, said: “I can tell you, as one who also ran naked around the embers several times, that the report is total nonsense and complete misinformation.

Kiwiburn 2017, just north of Hunterville. Photo / Bevan Conley

“Was sexual activity publicly observed during Kiwiburn? Yes, it was. However the truth is very different to that which you’ve been told.”

He said on the night of the effigy burn, about 800 people “ran naked around the glowing embers, singing, dancing, and generally yahooing”.

A handful of children were present, he estimated between 9 and 13 years of age, who joined in, but at this stage he said there was no sexual activity.

He said later in the night, when there were no children present, one couple were “seen to be acting over-amorously by the fireside”.

“On another occasion a man was masturbating in his tent during the day in the general camping area. Unfortunately, the tent flap was slightly open and a person passing happened to see him.”

He clarified he had heard those reports from others, rather than witnessing them himself, and there had been discussion of them on the Kiwiburn Facebook page.

He said in general, the event organisers made it a priority to keep the festival safe and family-friendly. He said R18 areas were marked and monitored but “as in normal society, it’s impossible to monitor every square inch of the paddock at every moment, and there will always be one or two who flout the rules”.

Another man who contacted RNZ said that was not his experience either. He said his friends took their kids and none of them witnessed any inappropriate behaviour.

Pearl Hanify, who attended as part of a large group – including children – said the scene around the fire could not have happened. She said she had been in touch with parents of about 30 of the children, and none of them knew where that claim had come from.

“I’ve talked to enough people that I don’t think it logistically could happened,” she said. “I think our culture as a whole has a way to go with consent awareness, however, I go to Kiwiburn because I know it’s a lot more conscious and a lot more aware, because we have a bunch more safeguards than we encounter in daily life.”

Another man said he had attended sober for the past six years and “it has always been child-friendly and safe”.

“With 2400 people and a culture that prizes inclusion of new burners, there’s gonna be a few bad eggs. They are weeded out every year and put on a ban list, and we require legal photo ID for a ticket.”

Kiwiburn’s committee published another statement on its website on Wednesday “to directly address our community’s concerns” after media coverage.

“[The executive committee] unequivocally condemns any behaviour that violates our community’s principles, endangers the safety and wellbeing of participants, or causes harm, intentional or otherwise, to any non-consenting person, regardless of age. To be clear, this includes displays of sexual activity without consent.”

It clarified there had been “no official reports of children being exposed to inappropriate behaviour beyond social media discussion”.

They said parents were “expected to be fully responsible for their children at all times, on the understanding that this is an event where clothing is optional, and artistic expression is encouraged”. It was not the role of volunteers to supervise children.

Police had not been informed of any incidents involving sexual acts, or of children witnessing such acts. The committee said there were police callouts to the event, but they were at the committee’s request and involved trespassers.

“We encourage public discourse and healthy debate around how we can all make Kiwiburn better. However, we strongly discourage the spread of unverified claims, hearsay, or rumours, as these make it more difficult to address genuine concerns and place unnecessary strain on our volunteers.”

This year’s event had not garnered more complaints than previous years, and their request for reports had been in response to anecdotal evidence coming to their attention.

“We recognise that some volunteers and community members have faced personal and professional challenges due to media coverage of the event. Criticising our volunteers for failure to prevent unacceptable behaviour is unhelpful, and frankly unfair.”

It said the executive worked with all community members who report concerns regarding inappropriate behaviour, consent breaches, or violations of the “Burner Principles”.

“To protect those involved, incident reports are handled confidentially, and we cannot share specific details of ongoing investigations. This applies to active and closed investigations. We respect privacy, in accordance with the Privacy Act and its principles.

“If you have experienced any non-consensual behaviour at Kiwiburn (including any displays of sexual behaviour which left you feeling uncomfortable) we strongly encourage you to report it.”

It said people were welcome to file a report with Hunterville police.

The Kiwiburn executive committee declined RNZ’s approach to provide direct comment.

- RNZ