Student party has top principal concerned

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School principals are banding together with police to stop more out-of-control beach parties on the North Shore.

A 'Castor Bay Beach Party 2' event on Facebook has more than 1700 people confirmed as 'attending' and 500 more 'maybe attending'.

It comes in the wake of a party at Castor Bay last Saturday where police trying to disperse the gathering were pelted with bottles.

Rangitoto College principal David Hodge says police will talk to the North Shore Principals Association on Friday about how they can help prevent a repeat of the weekend violence.

"I'm sure all the principals on the North Shore will be giving them their full support," he says.

"We're going to offer any network of communication we have available to help them."

But he maintains parents are ultimately accountable for making sure their teenagers behave responsibly.

Schools don't have much control of what students do after-hours, especially on activities that don't directly impact on their school life, he says.

"We can't act on this unless it can be shown that a beach party that happens at 12am at night has a direct impact on what happens at school.

"Parents are involved 24 hours a day. We will do what we can but what we can do is limited."

Many of the confirmed attendees to 'Castor Bay Beach Party 2' are listed as being from Rangitoto College - the largest high school in New Zealand with more than 3000 pupils.

Mr Hodge has previously taken a hard line on teen drinking, cancelling this year's school balls after parents organised after ball functions.

Eighteen-year-old Devonport Takapuna local board member Joseph Bergin says widespread use of Facebook, and the hotter weather, will see large beach parties continue.

Those attending want to cause mayhem and then get the police involved so it escalates, he says.

He wants to find a compromise between the interests of youth, residents and the police.

About 130 young people attended the first Castor Bay beach party on Saturday.

When police arrived at about 10pm, a group threw bottles at them.

As more carloads of youths arrived in the cul-de-sac, police blocked a number of streets in the area.

Helped by observers in the Eagle helicopter, they dispersed party goers into Beach Rd.

- additional reporting Wayne Thompson