8 May 2026

During the recent break I popped into Dough Bakery at Whirinaki Whare Taonga, the Art Gallery in Upper Hutt. I have discovered their buttermilk chilli cheese scones. There was an exhibition about youth subculture of the 50s and 60s, and a little later, which had some great photos and film clips.”Bodgies to Bogans”.

What caught my attention too was a copy of the infamous Mazengarb Report. 

If you haven’t heard of it, back in 1954, New Zealand was experiencing its own "moral panic" about the younger generation. Adults were worried about "milk bar cowboys", rock 'n' roll, and teenagers hanging out in places - yes like the Hutt Valley. To address these fears, the government commissioned a report, led by lawyer Oswald Mazengarb.

So here is a bit more about it. Formally called the Report of the Special Committee on Moral Delinquency in Children and Adolescents, it was a document sent to every single home in New Zealand. The report was a mix of concern and a call to return to traditional values. Working Mothers came under the spotlight for example and equated to children lacking the supervision they needed. It blamed a variety of modern influences like "suggestive" Hollywood films, American comics, and those new-fangled milk bars for distracting teens from the more wholesome activities available. Overall parents were encouraged to take a much stricter interest in where their kids were and who they were with.

While I am astonished that this report was sent to every letterbox in the land, some of the report’s views feel very outdated now (and it certainly did put a lot of pressure on parents!), its heart I suppose wasn’t far from a place we recognise today: a deep desire to protect and guide our children through a rapidly changing world.

Over those delicious scones I chatted with my dough partner in crime about the report and we concluded that every generation of parents faces a "new" challenge - whether it’s those wretched comic books in 1954 or AI or smartwatches in 2026 - and that our goal is always the same: helping our kids grow up happy, healthy, and safe.

Isn't it fascinating to see how much has changed - and how much sort of stays the same when you dig under the waterline.

Ngā mihi nui