Bylaw could bring Boobs on Bikes back to Tauranga

Protesters hold signs at the Boobs on Bikes parade. Photo / Bay of Plenty Times

Boobs on Bikes could be returning to Tauranga in retaliation to the city council giving itself more power to stop parades that were offensive or created disorder.

The council has beefed up the bylaw that deals with parades following the furore created by the topless procession in August 2011.

But the new provisions in the Street Use and Public Place Bylaw have been scorned by Auckland porn king Steve Crow.

"I am flattered. It will make absolutely no difference to me whatsoever - if I want to run a parade, I will do it," he told the Bay of Plenty Times.

Mr Crow, who had not been planning to bring Boobs on Bikes to Tauranga this year, says the council had more or less forced his hand.

"It now sounds like Tauranga is a must. I believe in freedom of expression and the Bill of Rights. I will see them in court, like I saw the Auckland City Council in court and won."

The review of the bylaw resulted in the council this week strengthening its powers to refuse permission to a parade.

One of the grounds was if the parade gave rise to "some public disorder" and whether, viewed objectively, it had a reasonable likelihood of dissuading others from enjoying their right to use a public space. It would also consider the impact the parade had on the normal use of the street, the expected number of participants and the duration of the parade.

The council said permission may be refused if the council reasonably believed the activity was likely to unreasonably impede traffic or pedestrians, cause a nuisance, endanger public safety or be offensive.

Council's corporate solicitor Joanne Gread said the bylaw had been drafted with the help of a legal firm which had looked at various issues and case law on parades and assemblies.

Councillor Larry Baldock, who was at the forefront of the unsuccessful attempt to stop Boobs on Bikes in 2011, said the council had done all it could to put itself in the best position to represent the public's views in any future application.

He said the words "some public disorder" meant it did not have to be the threat of a full blown riot. "It will probably end up in court anyway."