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18
CANTA
INVESTIGATES
– THE LOCAL ALCOHOL POLICY –
C
hristchurch declared to the world that it had a bold
new vision mid last year. It’s time to ‘transform
Christchurch into an edgy 21st century city with a
difference’. Edgy. That’ll be us moving forward says the Council.
Aside from the self-defeating nature of declaring yourself edgy,
it was nice to see this. At least they were kind of doing something
to temper the domination of the rebuild by pale male walking
corpses.
But this was in stark contrast to the proposals being made to
adjust Christchurch’s alcohol legislation. Anyone outside a small
inner-city area would be unable to sell alcohol after 1am. Edgy.
The Final Provisional Local Alcohol Policy will introduce a
range of other changes too. You won’t be able to buy booze at
supermarkets or liquor stores after 10pm. One-way door policies
will be imposed on a discretionary basis.
The new policy will limit the hours of many current
establishments outside 3am zone. It was venues in these areas
that led the post-quake hospitality revival. The City Council
applauds such establishments. In the same report that they
announced their edge, they proudly noted that ‘vibrant nightlife
precincts have emerged in Addington, Riccarton, Victoria Street
and Merivale’. The new Policy will almost certainly lead to some
of these venues closing, or at least becoming a little less vibrant.
Making it impossible for anyone in Christchurch to get a drink at
1:30am unless they mission it into the city is grievous in itself. A
person living in Hornby or Lyttleton should be able to have a few
late-night pints without incurring an offensively expensive taxi.
So who is leading the charge against late closing times? The usual
suspects feature—The Police and the CDHB are sure to submit
vociferously in opposition to anything and everything. Another
force is that there isn’t much overlap between people who like
to be on the lash at 3am and people who vote in local body
elections; Councillors want to please their voter base.
Decrepit white retirees who have a fetish for seeing their names
on page four of The Press also factor. Serial whingers Victoria
Neighbourhood Association are especially noxious. Wowsersin-chief
Bob and Marjorie Manthei have dedicated their golden
years to furiously NIMBYing, trying to ensure that no fun is had
past their bedtime in what has emerged as perhaps the only
alternative to St Asaph.
Thankfully the Council has chosen to largely ignore the
Association’s death rattles, changing the proposed policy so that
much of Victoria Street will be in Area A (3am closing) and giving
the rest (including The Carlton) a three-year 3am grace period
before the 1am limit kicks in. Long live The Bog.
The Police, CDHB, and co. object on the usual grounds of
reducing alcohol harm. We should, of course, expect these
organisations to advocate for harm reduction. Alcohol-fuelled
violence, crashes, and crime are a scourge. Likewise the pressure
alcohol related medical incidents puts on the healthcare system.
But I am not at all convinced that the changes put forward in
the Provisional Local Alcohol Policy will reduce alcohol related
harm. New Zealand has a serious drinking culture, and it’s a little
optimistic to think that making town a bit more shit will even
make a dent.
Young people tend to be the biggest drinkers and the biggest
dickheads. We drink more, fight more, crash more, get
hospitalised more. But, overwhelmingly, this harm does not
happen in town. It happens at house parties. While it’s a bit of a
charade—‘Yeah just a couple of beers tonight mate’—the reality
is that it’s harder to get seriously, dangerously blitzed when
Issue 1.