One person mentioned this during the campaign, stating that former Kapiti mayor Jenny Rowan had been a supporter of nude bathing.  It prompted Geoffrey to check what the official view was, and according to this article on stuff.co.nz:

“Nudity is allowed on beaches unless it is regarded as offensive.

“Councils can deem beaches clothing-optional after consultation if residents request it.”

The problem, of course, is that what might be inoffensive to one person is offensive to another.

Although morality is often seen as the reason for wearing swimsuits in public, the main reason is aesthetics — not many people look better with clothes off than on, and there are a lot of people you’d rather not look at.

However, there is no compelling reason for changing the present stance as stated above.