Mixed views have been received by the Waitaki District Council on a review of its liquor ban bylaw, with one person suggesting it is "an overreaction".
The council has carried out a review of the bylaw, first introduced in 2003, which bans alcohol from a defined area of central Oamaru and from the Oamaru harbour area.
In its review, the council is proposing to extend the central Oamaru liquor ban area north to Orwell St (instead of Usk St) and to tidy up some anomalies, such as where one side only of a street has a ban, plus allow for temporary time-and-place-specific liquor bans for communities to cope with popular seasonal events, such as the Omarama rodeo.
It has also asked for comment on easing the 24-hour liquor ban in the Oamaru Harbour area and allowing alcohol consumption during daylight hours, but with the ban retained throughout the hours of darkness.
Easing the liquor ban in the Oamaru harbour area has received a mixed reaction.
Some, such as the Oamaru Rowing Club, Safer Community Trust, Students Against Driving Drunk (Sadd) and individuals, were opposed to the idea.
Sadd said the ban worked well at the harbour, and removing it would just encourage bad behaviour.
"Removing the ban is just silly," Sadd chairwoman Lana Ennis said.
Others supported the concept of allowing people on picnics, barbecues or other recreational activities to drink alcohol during daylight hours.
The council's harbour sub-committee, which also includes representatives from community organisations, said potential problems with alcohol in the harbour area generally ocurred at night.
It supported the liquor ban applying only during the hours of darkness.
Oamaru lawyer Bill Dean did not believe the council had "any mandate to become the moral guardians" of the community.
"Personally, the entire liquor ban, not only that promulgated in 2003, but also that as suggested now, is to me a reprehensible overreaction that impacts on all members of the community simply to try to fix the actions of a few," he said.
Oamaru property developer John Brown said he did not want to be dictated to by the council, especially after a [Labour] government that had meddled in people's lives.
Extending the central Oamaru liquor ban to more streets did not go far enough, according to some submitters.
Some have suggested the liquor ban should be extended along Thames Highway to Redcastle Rd, almost to the Oamaru town boundary.
