Aimee Wilson
09 January 2025, 5:45 PM
Red Frogs New Zealand had another successful Christmas and New Year response in Queenstown and Wanaka, helping young people - including many from Central Otago - stay safe when partying.
This was the volunteer organisation’s 9th year attending celebrations in the south, safeguarding young people in high-risk, alcohol-fuelled environments.
National director Ray Thomson, formerly of Cromwell, said while they targeted the 13-30 year-old age group, they also attended concerts as well, and would have a presence in Gibbston Valley next weekend.
Providing safe spaces, listening ears, water, pancakes, and practical support, the work they do has led to a notable reduction in alcohol-related harm, reflected in fewer ambulance call outs and arrests.
“We are quite happy to stand in the gaps to support young people but we don’t take the place of parents.”
Over the years they’ve formed strong relationships with other frontline services, such as police, St John, the Queenstown Lakes District Council and security teams, and a lot of planning went into their response.
As part of their debrief, they will look into extending their response next year following the mass disorder incident in Wanaka involving 300 teenagers on January 2.
Red Frogs national director Ray Thomson (left) with DJ Trent Newton, of Brisbane, on the Red Frogs stage on New Years Eve in Wanaka. PHOTO: Red Frogs NZ
Ray said they were now seeing the second and third generations of young people choosing Wanaka and Queenstown as a New Year’s Eve destination, with different trends emerging.
When they first started, emergency services were dealing with drunken teenagers on inflatable rafts getting themselves into trouble heading to Ruby Island in the middle of Lake Wanaka.
“We still see first time party behaviour such as experimental use of alcohol and occasional drug use as well,'' Ray said.
“But we get the benefit of being the friendly front face like the cool older brother or sister.
''We’d like to think the support put in place by all the stakeholders across Wanaka and Queenstown is the ‘gold standard’ when it comes to supporting young people.”
Wife Shannon, who is also Red Frogs NZ’s media co-ordinator, said she always wanted to be a war correspondent, “and this is much the same really - chaos everywhere, broken glass and bottles being thrown,” she joked.
"I love the tangible difference we get to make in a young persons life.''
Red Frogs volunteers supporting young people at the Chill Out Zone at Dinosaur Park in Wanaka on December 30. The park was the site of a mass disturbance on the night of January 1. PHOTO: Red Frogs NZ
Red Frogs was also at the Alexandra Blossom Festival, Cromwell Christmas at the Races and will show up at all the University Orientation weeks around the country in February.
Ray and Shannon started their Red Frogs journey in Invercargill as regional co-ordinators and then moved to Central Otago in 2014 where they set up the NYE response.
In 2024 the Red Frogs NZ Trust was formed and Ray was made national director, so the couple moved to Dunedin as part of that role.
The couple love what they do and can see the difference they are making, particularly the personal leadership development within their volunteer teams.
Made up of students, doctors, lawyers, pastors and youth workers, the national response teams pack up after each event and go back to doing their everyday jobs and carry on.
“There is always peace amongst the chaos.
“Red Frogs breaks you but in a beautiful way,” he said.
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