David Saunders says when everyone naked there are no barriers. Fellowship and friendships are formed. Photo / Supplied
David Saunders says when everyone naked there are no barriers. Fellowship and friendships are formed. Photo / Supplied
David Saunders says it is a good feeling to be finally able to talk openly about his lifestyle now that his days as a judge are well behind him.
The long-time member of Pineglades Naturist Club Rolleston has never spoken publicly about his life as a nudist, despite a short-lived media storm six years ago.
So after being elected president of the New Zealand Naturist Federation over New Year, it is time to talk.
“I feel comfortable about it, I’m not sitting and judging cases where somebody is going to say ‘Well that judge only decided that because he’s a naturist,’” Saunders, 71, says.
In 2016 Sensible Sentencing Trust founder Garth McVicar caused a short-lived stir going public about a judge whose naked photos were posted on the Pineglades website. McVicar said the judge (Saunders) - who wasn’t named - was creating a “public outrage”.
TV news ran with the “naked judge” story, without identifying Saunders, with McVicar calling for an investigation, arguing the photos could undermine fair judicial process, as they could be used for blackmail purposes.
David Saunders has been a member of Pineglades at Rolleston for 50 years, having joined when he was 21 as a Canterbury University law student. Photo / Supplied
Broadcaster Paul Henry, himself a naturist, joined the debate, taking issue with McVicar’s view of the matter.
The chief district court judge at the time told Saunders: “Keep your head down, it will blow over.” So that is what he did.
“[Media] came to me, I said ‘I would love to make a comment, but I won’t, because I’m not going to fuel the debate’,” said Saunders.
But his lifestyle was never something he kept secret from work colleagues and friends.
He was a district court judge for 27 years before retiring two years ago - 10 years in Dunedin then 17 years in Christchurch. Today he lives in Christchurch. He has been a member of Pineglades at Rolleston for 50 years, having joined when he was 21 as a Canterbury University law student.
David Saunders says when everyone is naked there are no barriers. Fellowship and friendships are formed. Photo / Supplied
Being naked in public came at an early age. His father was the headmaster at Hanmer School. He would undertake pool duty at the thermal pools.
“No one wore togs, I think it was the sulphur in the water [because of the effect on fabric], so it was just accepted.”
Later in Nelson, the family would visit the relatively private Tahuna Beach.
“I hated swimming with togs on,” he said.
At Pineglades in his 20s, he found being nude just as liberating. Today he still has this sense of joy as he potters about the club as one of the older members whose main job is grounds work.
“It just feels natural to be working without T-shirts and stuff on, working naked in the garden.”
He said it was also a connecting way to meet people. When everyone is naked there are no barriers. Fellowship and friendships are formed.
The dad of three said it was also a good lifestyle in which to bring up children.
“It gives them a much broader, liberal view of what life is about.”
Pineglades is on seven hectares on Brookside Rd, with beautiful garden areas frequented by native birds and inter-twined with walkways. It has sports courts, a children’s playground, a heated outdoor swimming pool, a spa and sauna complex, and a clubhouse with a licensed bar and barbecue area.
It has baches throughout which members own. They stay weekends and holidays; a few members live there permanently. Baches have kitchenettes and running water, while bathrooms are communal. There is also an area for caravans, and a few baches owned by the club are rented out to visitors on a per-night basis.
“It’s a far cry from the 1970s when I believe numbers were, when I joined up, around 500 or 600,” Saunders said.
In its early years, Pineglades was called the Canterbury Sun and Health Club. It was on the rural outskirts of Rolleston, whereas today it is surrounded by homes.
Saunders said members looked out for each other. A fellow club stalwart, who undertook much of the communal building work in the grounds, was in the process of replacing rotting windows on an 80-year-old member’s bach.
Currently, members are looking forward to the club’s annual volleyball match with Rolleston Volunteer Fire Brigade, on February 4. Club members wear nothing, except any items they may choose to add for sun protection or warmth, while firefighters wear shorts and T-shirts.
“A few years ago they had T-shirts specially made that said ‘Next year we will play naked. Yeah right!’ with a tui on it,” said Saunders.
David Saunders was a district court judge for 27 years in Dunedin and Christchurch before retiring in 2021. Photo / Supplied
A common question in online forums was if there was anything sexual about naturism clubs.
“It’s not. In fact, we would be a much stronger moral group than you would probably find at many golf clubs or tennis clubs. It would break the fabric of here if everybody was swinging and carrying on. I’m not going to say it has never happened, but by and large, we conduct ourselves with propriety, respect and self-respect,” he said.
“If people are here thinking they are going to pick up a one-night stand or a fling, it’s the wrong reason [to be here].”
Saunders said he was looking forward to fulfilling the national federation president role, and expected his experience as a judge would help.
He said the philosophy behind naturism was described well in the international federation mission statement - “Naturism is life in harmony with nature, with self-respect, and respect to others.”
