Tauranga hospitality specialists are using a "yellow card" system to deal with bad Christmas party behaviour.
But a cultural shift in binge drinking behaviour means local work parties are becoming more about socialising than downing as many free beers as possible, a local hospitality boss says.
Hospitality New Zealand Bay of Plenty chairman Clayton Mitchell said a renewed surge of Christmas parties this season showed Tauranga businesses were regaining their confidence. But the nature of the parties was changing. "We're not seeing big booze ups that were around 10 or 15 years ago. They tend to be more social engagements.
"It's a bit of a cultural shift across people's drinking and thinking habits. It's not trendy to go out and get plastered anymore."
However, there were always "one or two" who took it too far - who were presented with a yellow card as a warning before being asked to leave.