A Gisborne school principal says they would welcome an alcohol ban in the Kaitī area as people regularly gather to drink at the bus stop outside Kaitī Mall and across the road from their school.
District councillors decided last year an alcohol bylaw would be the best way to control drinking in public spaces.
Alcohol was banned from Gisborne’s city centre streets, with a temporary ban that included Midway Beach over the New Year period while the Rhythm and Vines festival took place.
At a recent council workshop, councillors discussed several options, including extending the R&V temporary alcohol ban and making it permanent (from the city centre to Midway); banning drinking in some parts of Midway; and banning alcohol consumption around Kaitī Mall and the surrounding areas.
Kaitī School principal Billie-Jean Potaka Ayton said an alcohol ban in the Kaitī area “would be a good move for the community” as the school had needed to call the police several times.
“We have groups of males drinking in the Kaitī bus shelter during the day on certain days of the week.
“Not only is it a bad thing for our kids to be seeing when walking to and from school, but also unsafe.
“These guys need to have a good, hard look at themselves.”
The bus shelter was also used by secondary school students, she said.
A resident who used the bus stop, John Jefferies, said broken glass was a frequent issue and encouraged the ban.
During the workshop, Gisborne Deputy Mayor Josh Wharehinga said the ban should include the mall, the area around the school and the park.
“I’ve already seen a few comments that have been online from concerned parents; from concerned community members who have had to jump out and intervene,” he said.
According to the report, police responded to 755 alcohol-related incidents in the Kaitī area between September 2019 and June 2024, and these records accounted for 15.7% of the district.
Incidents in Kaitī also steadily increased from 135 in 2020 to 203 in 2023.
Council staff would adapt the options based on feedback and present the council with a draft plan of the alcohol ban areas in March.
Once councillors adopted a draft plan it would go out for public consultation.
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
