Bylaw plan to ban Crate Day parties

A new bylaw has been suggested to control ‘‘Crate Day’’-style gatherings in Queenstown.

The resort’s Village Green was strewn with rubbish last December, after about 300 people welcomed summer with a crate of beer — a national radio promotion which the station involved says has taken on a life of its own.

At last week’s Queenstown Lakes District Council meeting, lawyer Bryce Whiting handed councillors a copy of a suggested bylaw which would ban Crate Day gatherings of more than 30 people on reserves or in public areas unless consent was obtained.

He said police should be given the power to confiscate alcohol, fine people and order them to move on.

Queenstown Mayor Jim Boult said the council did not want to be ‘‘bulldozed into making a fast decision’’ on a total ban, an idea which had been raised by police and others.

Mr Boult said balance was needed, as hundreds of people enjoyed a drink outside year-round without trouble.

‘‘So while we will look carefully at any requests for a total ban on public drinking, we would need to be convinced that this was the best way of dealing with a specific problem.’’

Council regulatory manager Lee Webster expected discussion of a proposed ban to be wrapped into the wider issue of alcohol harm, but it would need a bylaw review.

There were no arrests at the Crate Day gathering in Queenstown on December 3, but Mr Whiting told councillors photos of the raucous celebration had gone around the world.

‘‘I suspect it’s going to be New Zealand’s major export to the peoples of the world over the next few years.’’