Beach not included as liquor-free zone.

Tauranga City Council has decided not to adopt many of the proposed liquor-free zones, including most of the coastal beach.

More than 240 people made submissions to the Council during the consultation period on proposed new liquor-free zones in July. A number of submitters proposed additional liquor-free areas to what was already in the draft Liquor-Free and Vehicle Free Zones in Public Places Bylaw 2010.

Today 16 people spoke to the elected members about their submissions, with a strong focus on not including the beach.

The Council decided not to adopt many of the proposed new liquor-free zones, primarily due to a lack of sufficient evidence that problems exist in the identified areas.

Mayor Stuart Crosby says this has been an excellent example of the democratic process. “Council proposed these areas as liquor-free zones following suggestions from members of the public. As the submission process has clearly shown us, most people would rather the beach was not included – so that’s the decision we’ve made. And we didn’t have enough evidence to make most of the other areas liquor-free zones.

“People can still go down to the beach (other than the Mount main beach) and have a drink with their picnic. The key message that we want to stress is that people should take their rubbish home with them. One of the biggest issues we have with people drinking in public places is the rubbish that is sometimes left behind, particularly glass bottles, which can cause a real hazard to the public”.

The current liquor free zones outlined in the Liquor and Vehicle Free Bylaw 2008 still exist. The newly adopted zones will be included in the updated 2010 Bylaw and will be effective from 1 December. There will also be a new provision for temporary liquor-free areas for events.