{"id":493504,"date":"2026-06-24T17:39:17","date_gmt":"2026-06-24T17:39:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/493504\/"},"modified":"2026-06-24T17:39:17","modified_gmt":"2026-06-24T17:39:17","slug":"sunlive-the-towns-pushing-for-a-24-7-cbd-alcohol-ban","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/493504\/","title":{"rendered":"SunLive – The towns pushing for a 24\/7 CBD alcohol ban"},"content":{"rendered":"

A 24\/7 alcohol ban is being planned for Whakat\u0101ne and Murupara central business districts to help police manage problem drinkers.<\/p>\n

Whakat\u0101ne District Council received submissions from police supporting the move during its public consultation on the draft Alcohol Control Bylaw, planned for adoption on July 23.<\/p>\n

At a hearing on the bylaw change, Whakat\u0101ne police Sergeant Christopher Howard said police had seen a recent spike in the number of rough sleepers drinking in the town centre during the day, often resulting in offensive behaviour.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe all know that there is an increase in our people who are sleeping rough. A lot of them have a pretty bad back story and they rely on alcohol and other substances to deal with life.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt does affect other members of the public.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnything we can do as a community to reduce that harm, to the individuals and the public, I think, is a positive.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the public support this [24\/7 ban]. Alcohol, unfortunately, is present in everything police deal with.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the moment, the bylaw targets drinking on and around weekends and some holidays, banning drinking alcohol in public places from 12pm Thursday until 3am Monday.<\/p>\n

On Christmas and New Year it begins on 12pm Christmas Eve until 12pm Boxing Day and 12pm New Year\u2019s Eve until 3pm New Year\u2019s Day.<\/p>\n

Howard said people were aware there was nothing police could do about public drinking in the CBD, outside these times.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve got a group of them who know who we are, but they also know they can drink on the off-days. We just need to be able to get the message through to them.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s early intervention for us. We use this legislation to reduce harm around alcohol and violence in our CBD area.<\/p>\n

\u201cNine times out of 10 they will abide by our instructions to leave. It\u2019s about reducing harm, not reacting to it.\u201d<\/p>\n

There was strong support among other submitters for the 24\/7 ban, with 43 out of 60 in agreement with it, 14 against and three not sure.<\/p>\n

As well as welcoming the 24\/7 ban, police also supported a nightly 9pm to 7pm ban for other public areas proposed by the council, particularly on beaches where partying youths could be a problem.<\/p>\n

\u201cTraditionally Friday, Saturday nights were the drinking nights. That\u2019s changed now. It\u2019s every night,\u201d Howard said<\/p>\n

Police wouldn\u2019t be patrolling beaches looking for drinkers, but responding when drinking led to public disorderliness.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not about stopping mum and dad having a glass of wine while watching the sunset. It\u2019s the disorder and the prospect of high-level violence coming from that.<\/p>\n

\"Recent

\nRecent CCTV footage submitted to Whakat\u0101ne District Council by Rotorua Police shows people drinking in the Murupara CBD, urinating outside shops and lying, intoxicated, on the footpath. Photo \/ Police<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s an infringement notice. They\u2019ll only get arrested if they fail to give us their details or fail to follow directions.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s about the direction \u2013 \u2018leave the area please, you\u2019re not supposed to be here with alcohol, tip it out or we\u2019ll take it off you\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

While a 24\/7 alcohol ban in the Murupara CBD was not part of the consultation on the bylaw, the council received submissions asking for this from Rotorua police, whose policing district Murupara falls within.<\/p>\n

This was supported by Murupara Community Board and Te R\u016bnanga o Ng\u0101ti Manawa.<\/p>\n

A submission by criminal investigation branch Detective Sergeant Nathan Marten included CCTV footage of people drinking outside shops at midday and in the afternoon, with young children nearby, asking people coming out of stores for money and rides, urinating in bushes and lying, intoxicated, on the footpaths.<\/p>\n

Bottles were being left in shop doorways.<\/p>\n

The submission gave statistics collected over 10 years in the Murupara area that showed public drinking was often a precursor to a range of alcohol-related harm including disorderly behaviour, fighting, harassment of members of the public, and damage to public spaces.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvidence consistently demonstrates that harm linked to alcohol consumption is not confined to specific days or hours.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe current limited ban creates enforcement gaps, enabling problematic behaviour to shift outside restricted periods,\u201d Marten\u2019s submission said.<\/p>\n

While deliberating on the bylaw changes, the council decided that, with the support shown for the ban in Murupara, no public consultation was necessary to introduce it.<\/p>\n

Staff were asked to draft maps showing the areas that would be subject to the ban.<\/p>\n

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.<\/p>\n

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