Youth counsellors are stunned Tauranga City Council has rejected funding the youth friendly, alcohol free festival Summerfest in 2014.

This week councillors voted in favour of declining Summerfest's application for $43,000 of the events fund, opting to instead provide $32,000 to the Gate Pa organisers for the 150th commemoration of the Battle of Gate Pa.

Get Smart Tauranga manager Stuart Caldwell is urging council to reconsider the funding request for Summerfest 2014.

The plan was to give the $32,000 to Summerfest, a youth, no alcohol, music event planned for Waitangi Day in 2014, and an additional $50,000 saved from the parks budget towards the Gate Pa commemoration.

As a result several agencies working to reduce youth alcohol-related harm are questioning council's decision-making after previously applauding their support for the success of Summerfest.

Tauranga Safe City coordinator Mike Mills is dismayed at council's apparent contradiction - bemoaning the excesses of youth and alcohol and then not supporting a successful major alcohol-free youth event.

'In the first two years, Summerfest has attracted thousands of young people for the day-long music festival. The police and St John Ambulance report that there have been no incidents arising on either previous occasions,” says Mike.

'For many young people the summer holidays are a period of elevated risk. Affordable alcohol-free events and activities are one way of providing alternative choices for young people that don't involve consumption of alcohol.”

Get Smart Tauranga manager Stuart Caldwell and Alcohol and Other Drug counsellor David Gilmour are also urging council to reconsider the funding request to show they are committed to reducing bad options present amongst Tauranga youth.

'The worry for us is what messages does it really send? That's the problem. For exasperated parents and people who desperately want to keep their kids on track and on the rails and to keep them away from harm.

'Summerfest was the Christmas present you buy your kids to go to and something the kids look forward to; and if you take that away it just leaves a vacuum. What we know about vacuums is they promote less desirable and harmful things to do.”

During the last two years, Tauranga Safe City, with funding from ACC, has run the 100% Summer Without Substances programme at locations around the city, including the establishment of a Youth Zone at Summerfest.

Mike says the key message at all events is youth do not need substances to have a good time and stay safe.

He says council invests significantly in the New Year's Eve festivities and attracted criticism for closing the Sand Bar, but the result is it has become an alcohol-free and safer family-friendly event.

'We need more of these activities and events and we need council to show the lead again with regard to Summerfest.”