When Re: News visited Ashburton and Greymouth as part of our new series The Regions, we asked rangatahi where they hung out in their free time. Why did so many of them say Macca’s?
Fast food joints are a favourite hangout spot for young people, especially for those living in the regions.
But not all small towns want their own Macca’s.
Earlier this month, a consent application to build a McDonalds in Wānaka was declined.
The commissioners who made the decision said the proposed restaurant would be “at odds with the character typically associated with rural living”.
The Queenstown Lakes District Council received over 360 submissions, with the majority against it.
Many of the submissions focussed on environmental concerns around single-use packaging and litter.
So why are the golden arches so appealing to young people?
A small town doesn’t have many places to hang out
Annaliese Taylor (Ngāpuhi) is a 16-year-old who grew up in Ashburton and hangs out at Macca’s with her mates.
It’s an easy place for everyone to meet up, she says, and the food is not only good but more affordable than other cafes and restaurants.
Re: News interviewed Annaliese Taylor in Ashburton. Image: Re: News.
Annaliese says there are other spots that offer a place to sit down, but she and her friends still prefer Macca’s.
She says there is the EA Networks sports centre, the library and a few places to eat, but this doesn’t feel like a lot once you’ve lived in the same town all your life.
“Things get old, you grow up and find things you already know well uninteresting.”
“Ashburton is a small town and therefore doesn't have as many locations for people to enjoy and hang out with friends.
“If you are a newcomer wanting to experience Ashburton for the first time then there definitely are a few cool places you can go and explore, but I feel like people who have lived there, like myself, would like to see some kind of change.”
‘Public spaces now are policed a bit more’
University of Otago associate professor of psychology Damian Scarf researches adolescent mental health and how belonging and identity play an important role in mental wellbeing.
Scarf says while McDonald’s might seem like a bizarre place to hang out, “the group is what makes the space”.
By that he means it's a place that teenagers have organically chosen to make their own.
It’s similar to how some rangatahi like to hang out in skate parks but not all of them skate - the original purpose of the place isn’t that important because the socialising purpose overrides it, he says.
Scarf says Macca’s provides a warm space where teenagers can get cheap food and coffee, but won't get hassled.
“I think public spaces now are policed a bit more, so it's a bit harder for adolescents to hang out … or getting questioned about what you're doing in public spaces, I think is more common now.”
McDonald’s restaurants either close late at night or stay open 24/7 which fits the sleep schedules of teenagers better than community spaces which often close around 5pm, Scarf says.
Some people may question why all teenagers don’t hang out at the library or other spaces designed for them but Scarf says they should have autonomy to choose—especially when some of them like going against expectations.
McDonald’s spokesperson Simon Kenny says the restaurants “always look to ensure a safe environment for our customers and staff, and often that translates into a place where younger people feel comfortable visiting”.
“Anecdotally, we hear many people say that Macca’s was the first place they were allowed to go without parental supervision.”
A teenager Re: News interviewed in Greymouth. Image: Re: News.
What spaces Ashburton District Council has created for young people
Ashburton District Council’s group manager of democracy and engagement Toni Durham says all of its public spaces are designed with young people in mind.
Durham says the main facilities it provides for teenagers include a new library which opened this year, the EA Networks sports hub, the art gallery, the museum and a jumping platform at Lake Hood.
She says its two skateparks are well used by teenagers, with one being right next to a McDonald’s.
There’s also the Ashburton Domain, which both Durham and Annaliese Taylor say is a good hangout spot.
“All facilities provide ways for teenagers to engage: from our busy gym, pools and courts to our VR driver simulator, AV recording studio, art exhibitions and laser cutting machine.
“We also provide classes, clubs, and activities that teens can participate in and socialise with others.”
The Council held a youth forum to hear from schools in September and last month it launched an online youth engagement site to get more feedback.
Young people have told Ashburton District Council they’d like to see a mini golf course and funding has been put aside for this in the council's long term plan.
Is McDonald’s good for small towns?
In Wānaka, more than 6000 people signed a petition to stop the McDonald’s opening there.
It asked Queenstown Lakes District Council to not grant a resource consent for the fast-food chain, saying it “goes against our core community value”.
“This international fast food giant responsible for extensive food waste and pollution, does not belong in our beautiful home.
“Additionally McDonald’s will take away business and staff from local businesses, directing profit out of Wānaka.”
This isn’t the first time New Zealanders have fought to keep Macca’s at bay.
Stuff reported that McDonald’s bought land in Kaikōura in 2009 with the intention to build a restaurant but the locals petitioned against it, and as of April 2024 there is still no McDonald’s in the small town despite the burger giant owning the land.
A month before that, Stuff reported McDonald’s withdrew a resource application for a new restaurant in Ōrākei, Auckland after the community opposed it.
Some of the criticisms of McDonald’s globally include evidence of modern slavery in the UK, being sued for an e.coli outbreak in the US and correlations to child obesity in Brazil.
Simon Kenny from McDonald’s says the company has “a range of considerations for choosing a new restaurant site, including increases in population and traffic flows, and also factoring in the communities in which we’d operate.
“As with most types of commercial or residential development, you can see some degree of opposition. Often a McDonald’s opening is symbolic of broader change in an area.”
In response to people who oppose new McDonald’s restaurants, Simon says the chain has operated in New Zealand for almost 50 years and believes it makes a positive impact.
He says McDonald’s typically opens two to five restaurants per year and occasionally closes some restaurants, which tend to be food court restaurants in malls.
We should support teenagers loitering in public
Loneliness tends to peak around two points in development: adolescence and retirement, University of Otago associate professor in psychology Damian Scarf says.
Getting out of the house, spending time offline and socialising in groups is good for young people’s mental health.
He says people stereotype rangatahi hanging out in public as ‘loitering’ but they should actually be supportive of it.
“The key is that hanging out with other people is good.
“Anytime I see adolescents sharing space and time with one another in person, I think it's great.”
The Regions is a docuseries that gives a snapshot of the lives of regional rangatahi in Aotearoa and the issues that matter to them.
Watch the series now on TVNZ+ and YouTube.
Made with the support of NZ On Air.
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