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ANDY JACKSON / Stuff
A new draft prohibition of alcoholic beverages is undergoing public consultation.
The mayor of New Plymouth lamented attitudes toward alcohol when the district council approved the submission of a new draft prohibition of drinking for public consultation.
Neil Holdom said it was a tragedy that a couple wanting to celebrate couldn’t bring a bottle of champagne to the Coastal Walkway.
In European society, with more mature attitudes towards alcohol, people can do that, he said.
“All of that has to do with the cultures of their homes.
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“It’s a shame that we have to go to our community and ask the question again to support our police, but this is the world we live in.”
Holdom spoke after a council error caused New Plymouth’s liquor control statute to expire in December 2018.
The bug, which wasn’t discovered until March this year, has made it difficult for police to handle alcohol-related incidents in the city center, according to a report from Wednesday’s extraordinary council meeting.
He highlighted a fight involving about 40 people over a weekend that saw 13 arrests for disorderly conduct, intentional harm or assault on police.
Holdom said it was incumbent on the council to support the police, who were on the “sharp end” of society.
The police mainly dealt with young men who were disconnected from their communities and had not learned responsible attitudes towards alcohol.
“They are hurting each other; they are hurting themselves; they are hurting their friends; they are causing problems for our companies; they are creating dangers by breaking bottles and other things. “
In December 2013, an amendment was made to the Local Government Act that requires existing alcohol control statutes to be revised by December 2018, or to see them expire.
If the law change had not occurred, the alcohol ordinance would have had to be revised by 2022, NPDC corporate policy and planning leader Mitchell Dyer said.
However, Councilman Gordon Brown wanted answers on how the statute had been allowed to lapse.
“Obviously someone didn’t do their job correctly.”
He asked who was responsible.
Holdom said it was not an appropriate question in a learning environment.
“We are not interested in witch hunts and I will not allow a question like that in this chamber. We rise and fall together. “
After the meeting, Brown said that in organizations the size of the council with the “high pay” that many of their staff receive, people must be held accountable.
Holdom said he would like to see the new ordinance in place by Christmas.
The council will also consult on renewal of bans on Oakura (New Years Eve), Urenui (New Years Eve), Waitara (all year), Mt Bryan, East End and Fitzroy reservations (three nights a week during the summer and Christmas Eve and New Years Eve) and most of Pukekura Park during the TSB Festival of Lights.
A ban on the roads to the Bowl of Brooklands for concerts is also being proposed, following anecdotal reports of misbehavior. Womad and Christmas at the Bowl would be exempt.
