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News
Booze ban not quite a bridge far enough
Monday, 26 March 2007
By NIC DALEY
• Howick and Pakuranga Times
COCKLE BAY residents are astounded their nearby public reserve isn’t covered by a liquor ban, yet land just steps away is.
According to council bylaws, resident Rodger Kent is banned from consuming alcohol where he's standing, but councillor Jami-Lee Ross (foreground) can drink what he wants. Times photo Bruce Nicholson.
Tainui Rd homeowner Rodger Kent is petitioning the Manukau City Council to instigate a liquor ban on Tainui Reserve – land that’s a small bridge away from Cockle Bay Reserve, which is alcohol-free.
“Here we have two reserves that aren’t miles apart, in fact you couldn’t get a cigarette paper between them; one has a liquor ban and the other doesn’t,” Mr Kent says.
“In essence you can drink in one area, take a step into the other reserve and not drink.”
Until two months ago residents were under the impression the reserve was alcohol-free: the entry point had a liquor ban sign attached.
But vandals stole the sign, forcing locals to contact the council and request a replacement.
“After six weeks and much badgering of them, they came back and said that it shouldn’t have been there in the first place because there are two distinct reserves,” Mr Kent says.
“The contractor had put it up by mistake. We were mistakenly under the impression the area was covered by the one bylaw.”
Howick city councillor Jami-Lee Ross has organised for Mr Kent to present his 59-signature petition to the council’s community safety committee in early April.
“They’ve had problems with young people partying and drinking, causing a general disturbance at night time and into the early hours of the morning.
“Tainui Reserve should have been covered when Cockle Bay was made a liquor ban in 2004.”
Mr Kent says there is disorder from time to time, whereupon locals previously went and spoke to those responsible, pointing to the liquor ban signage.
“I’m not saying every night of the week it’s the modern equivalent of Genghis Khan and his hoards turning up for a thrash and bash; it’s cyclical.
“The sign used to supplement us going and speaking to them.”
Manukau City Council senior policy analyst Paul Wilson says officers would investigate the possibility of a liquor ban once the deputation is made in early April.
He confirms it was a mistake to have the sign installed at the top of Tainui Reserve some two years ago. “The liquor ban area extends as far as the water way [from Cockle Bay beach].”
He says he can’t comment on the reasoning behind the absence of a liquor ban, having not been party to the decision.
The council’s community safety committee will determine the likelihood of a ban based on a number of bylaw criteria, as well as a suitable timeframe.