Face paints banned as grounds damaged

ROBYN EDIE/The Southland Times

COLOURFUL COMPETITORS: Madison Findlay (left) and Mikayla Agnew, both 11, at the Southland Girls' High School sports day at Surrey Park.

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Invercargill secondary schools have been banned from letting students use face and body paints at the Surrey Park athletics grounds, Invercargill City Council parks manager Robin Pagan said.

The ban is in response to damage students from two Invercargill secondary schools caused during their school sports days this year.

Mr Pagan said the mess the schools had left forced the council to hire contractors to clean up paint residue on the sports equipment, the grandstand and showers at the sports grounds.

The schools would be billed for cleanup costs once the totals were known. However, he declined to name them, he said.

"We need to give the schools an opportunity to respond to us before we go public."

Athletics Southland sports manager Lance Smith said he had no problems with the students dressing up and painting themselves.

However, those who made a mess of the equipment or did not take the championship athletics seriously by not trying in events should not be there.

Athletics Southland supported the council's decision to ban school pupils from using paints on sports days.

James Hargest College, Southland Girls' High School and Verdon College hold their full school sports days at Surrey Park.

However, some schools did not allow athletes and supporters to paint themselves.

Southland Boys' High School deputy principal John McKinlay said the school had two sports days. The first was held on school grounds, for all pupils, where they were allowed to paint themselves and dress up. The other was held at Surrey Park and involved only about 200 pupils for their championships but they were not permitted to use body paints, he said.

- © Fairfax NZ News

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