It's 24-hour drinking in Auckland City

Auckland City has pressed ahead with moves to officially sanction 24-hour licensing of bars despite warnings from alcohol watchdogs it will lead to increased violence.

A council committee has voted to entrench 24-hour licensing in its new alcohol strategy, disappointing alcohol groups who say they have grave fears about the move.

The decision, which is expected to be approved by the full council this week, allows for a year-long 3am probation period after which bars can apply to go all-hours. Nightclubs would be granted 24-hour licences immediately.

Auckland mayor Dick Hubbard said he was happy with 24-hour drinking in the city as long as there were no problems. "If there are problems we want to make sure that the ability to restrict licences is used to control the problems."

He said the new policy was better than the current ad hoc granting of 24-hour licences, as bars would be denied the opportunity to open all-hours if there were problems under their 3am probation.

"It puts you in a lot stronger position if you are extending for good behaviour, rather than withdrawing licences for bad behaviour," he said.

The council has been promoting the draft alcohol policy as a key to creating a dynamic, vibrant city.

But alcohol watchdogs are disappointed that their warnings about allowing more all-hour drinking establishments have apparently gone ignored.

Government policy advisers, the Alcohol Advisory Council, along with Alcohol Healthwatch and Massey University researchers, warned that increased violence and alcohol-related harm were almost inevitable with all-hour bars.

"People just have that much more alcohol on board that they are going to be much more likely to be involved in violent incidents," said Kim Conway from Massey University's Centre for Social and Health Outcomes Research and Evaluation (SHORE).

Studies by SHORE, whose director Sally Casswell chairs a World Health Organisation committee on alcohol policy, have already shown a link between longer opening hours and violence in Auckland.

Ms Conway said a 2001 survey of police data found about two thirds of drink-related violence involving young people in the city occurred between midnight and 4am. The figures did not include drink-driving arrests or hospital admissions.

The theory that longer opening hours would encourage more controlled drinking and avoid the problems of binge drinking atclosing time did not stack up, Ms Conway said. "It's simply spread over a larger period of the night."

Already 99 out of Auckland's 237 bars operate under 24-hour licences and 18 out of 30 nightclubs are allowed to open all hours - none which will be affected by the new policy.

Rebecca Williams of Alcohol Health Watch said the council obviously decided that extending 24/7 privileges to everyone was the logical thing to do.

"But it goes against the evidence to have basically open slather 24-hour. So I suppose they have probably taken the best option they can in making it dependent on good management." 

BOOZE CULTURE

Almost all (94 per cent) New Zealanders have tried alcohol

81 per cent of adults and 52 per cent of people aged 12-17 drink

38 per cent of adults say they are not concerned about the long-term effects of alcohol on their physical well-being.

71 per cent of adults say they limit their alcohol intake because of responsibilities to their family.

Source: 2004 ALAC survey of New Zealander's drinking patterns.

- Herald on Sunday