Whakatāne District Council will be consulting with the public on whether they wish to see a 24/7 alcohol ban in the central business district.

This is just one of the changes to the Alcohol Control Bylaw being proposed.

It was one of six draft bylaws the council’s strategy and policy committee approved to be put out for consultation last Thursday.

Key changes to the draft bylaw the council wants feedback from the public about were around changing the timing of alcohol bans, which are in place in specified public places.

Currently, bans apply from 12 noon Thursday to 3am on Monday, making drinking in these areas banned for the entire weekend. There are also 24-hour bans in place for Christmas and New Year.

The draft bylaw proposes to simplify this with a consistent nightly ban from 9pm to 7am daily and removing the season bans.

It proposes including Waimana within the Alcohol Control Areas after councillor Andrew Iles pointed out that this town had been missed in the previous bylaw.

Provisions allowing the council to introduce temporary alcohol-free zones for specific events or high-risk periods when needed have been added and enforcement provisions, including clearer search-related powers for police, have been updated.

The draft bylaw also extends the Ōhope Alcohol Control Map to include the council-owned Ōhope Beach Tavern carpark.

The committee voted to ask the community whether they would like to have a 24/7 ban in the central business district. Not all councillors were happy with the new hours.

Councillor Gavin Dennis said he couldn’t understand why the bylaw was being changed to allow drinking in liquor ban areas during the day until 9pm.

“I would have made it 12 noon until 7am, seven days a week. If you just change it to 9am to 7am, where’s the restrictions and the ability for the police to control those that are out of control?”

His understanding was that some members of the police would like the alcohol ban to be 24/7, as a back-up for when there was a disturbance, he said.

Councillor Lesley Immink agreed the draft bylaw was confusing about what the council was asking the public in the consultation.

Mayor Nandor Tanczos was concerned about the council’s obligations under the Bill of Rights in making the least restrictive law to achieve the desired effect.

He pointed out that police had powers to deal with disruptive, unruly or anti-social behaviour by other means, regardless of an alcohol ban being in place.

“As someone who is a teatotaller, so I have got no skin in this at all, I do prefer to take the least restrictive position we can.”

Committee chairwoman Toni Boynton reiterated that councillors were not making a decision about the bylaw at that meeting.

“We are asking for our community to be part of making that decision, including our businesses, our social services that deal with some of the harms that may happen with alcohol within our community.”

Public consultation is taking place throughout this month. Other draft bylaws that have been reviewed and are being put out for consultation are ports and wharves, beaches, dog control, keeping of animals, and a new Stock Movement Bylaw.

The public are invited to share their thoughts via the council’s engagement website koreromai.whakatane.govt.nz Kōrero Mai website and at all council facilities.