New Years Eve Wanaka 2007

Wanaka has enjoyed another family orientated New Years Eve.

Local council run events on the lakefront provided excellent entertainment for the New Year revelry, which saw 2000-3000 people celebrating the arrival of 2008.

Sergeant Aaron Nicholson, Officer in Charge of the Wanaka Police, said that only 15 people were arrested for a variety of offences including breaches of the Liquor Ban, disorder and behaviour offences during New Years Eve.

The majority of arrests were of young males from out of town aged between 17 and 21 yrs.

Compared to the 54 arrests and a riot that occurred in 2005, 2007 has definitely been a success.

Sergeant Nicholson said, we have a formula that has been working for the past few years and we are constantly making minor improvements each year. Having the resources available with the influx of Dunedin Police staff means we can set up an ideal Policing environment and balance the use of discretion and strict enforcement to achieve an excellent result.

Further positives from New Year were that over 600 people were stopped and breath tested in and around the Wanaka area with only two being found over the legal limit.

There were no arrests from the well managed crowd attending the Anika Moa concert at the Lake Hawea Motor Inn.

Sergeant Nicholson is hopeful that young people are getting the message that Wanaka is not a party town and are obviously taking their youthful exuberance elsewhere. The limited licensing hours and local liquor ban play a vital part in delivering that message.