CEPNZ withdraws Rotorua Truant-Free-Zone support

PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE USE 12th July 2006:

CEPNZ withdraws support for Rotorua Truant-Free-Zone

In October 2005 the Rotorua District Council launched a truant-free-zone poster for use in their CBD. At first, the CEPNZ was pleased that the council had taken up the resources purchased by five Rotorua schools and we supported this district wide initiative. It turned out that this was not the case.

In communicating with the council it was found that this was an initiative developed by local authorities, Retail Rotorua, government and non-profit organisations and that CEPNZ resources were not used and therefore, there was no reason to mention the CEPNZ.

After requesting a copy of the poster used in the Rotorua CBD Truant-Free-Zone, it was our belief that the wording used on their poster (developed by Retail Rotorua) was a near copy of the wording used on the original poster designed by the CEPNZ eighteen months before the Rotorua 'launch'.

For a comparison of the wording on these posters, see: http://www.cepnz.co.nz/news.html#compare

This fact and the comparison was put to each of the Ministers responsible for the logos displaying their support for the Rotorua poster. It was also suggested that if the Ministries of Police, Education, Local Government and Social Development would like to continue displaying their logos on this poster and showing their support that they might like to show their support for the original posters and truancy resources developed by the CEPNZ or buy the CEPNZ anti-truancy resources so that they could have the rights to this highly successful, nation-wide programme.

The reply from the Minister of Education was that they were not interested in buying the CEPNZ truancy resources but they would advise Retail Rotorua to change the wording of any future production of their posters.

Has the horse not already bolted? The Rotorua district has had much media coverage of their campaign and refers to a 'pilot scheme' in the Owhata and Te Ngae shopping areas in 2004. Is it a coincidence that Owhata School had purchased a copy of the CEPNZ Truancy Resource Pack on the 1st February 2004 that contained our original poster? This school was within their rights to duplicate our poster and use it in their local shopping area but these rights did not include the near duplication of our wording by Retail Rotorua without the mention of the CEPNZ.

Therefore, the CEPNZ has withdrawn its support for the Rotorua truant-free-zone 'initiative' as hundred of schools throughout the country and two district councils have purchased the CEPNZ truancy resources for use in their districts and the rights to duplicate our posters in establishing truant-free-zones in their shopping areas.

ENDS

Website: www.cepnz.co.nz