Thu 5 May 2011 In: New Zealand Daily News View at Wayback View at NDHA
K' Rd on a busy night (picture GayNZ.com) A group of Karangahape Rd bar owners are making strides in their community-driven mission to make the party hotspot safer at night, saying the pending election and Rugby World Cup are significantly helping their cause. While it's known by many as 'gay road' and hosts the bulk of the Auckland's gay venues, the growing jumble of bars and clubs in the area have been pulling in more and more diverse crowds. There has also been a surge in people getting tanked up on alcohol in cars on back streets, then causing trouble on the main drag. Anecdotal reports from multiple sources are of increases in violence and anti-social behaviour on the busiest nights out, something which has been witnessed first-hand on many occasions by GayNZ.com Daily News staff. K' Rd Licensees in Control (KLIC) has been making plenty of traction behind the scenes, with the help of both National's Auckland Central MP Nikki Kaye and Labour electorate candidate and list MP Jacinda Ardern, who are also pushing hard for multi-pronged measures to make people spending time in the area feel more safe. KLIC has met with the MPs, Auckland Council officials and senior police. The group's founder and spokeswoman Teresa Brown says they are all listening. "It's election year. That's really helped us move our issues along," she says. "And also the fact that it's Rugby World Cup." K' Rd will be part of the official themed walking route from the CBD to Eden Park for the event, which Brown says means there will be 1,000 to 2,000 people walking up through Myers Park and St Kevin's Arcade, then along K' Rd. There has been an increase in police keeping an eye on the area and approaching on trouble-makers since February. "They've had several blitzes on the street," Brown says. "One of them coincided with Judith Collins, the Minister of Police, being on K' Rd and she happened to witness a poor young woman being assaulted. I think that's actually helped to drive our issues be addressed as well, although it was of course really unfortunate for the young woman, but it has helped people at that level be aware what our concerns are." Brown says having help from the top to deal with the issues of violence and anti-social behaviour is important, but she wants solutions to come from the community itself, rather than legislation or MPs. "That's what KLIC is going to do. We are setting up a working party which will involve people in the community providing solutions," she says. "We keep on saying as on-licenses, the vast majority of us are very responsible about the laws that cover us in terms of not having intoxicated people on the premises. A lot of the issues with our area are with pre-loading or car boot drinking, in areas like Galatos. Then they're outside our front door. We could take the opinion that it's not our responsibility, but we're not. We actually want to make sure that the whole area is safe and secure for patrons." Overall though, Brown believes a higher police presence should be worst-case scenario and a last resort. She points out that police don't always have the resources to arrest people for breaching the liquor ban by drinking on the street, saying they instead instruct people to tip their drinks out, as if officers are off the street processing people and sending them to the cells then they are less able to deal with others causing issues. The group was among those pushing for Pacific Island wardens and Brown believes they will help. "We think it's horses for courses and we've identified that a lot of the problems there are from Pacific Island youth, so we need that presence." She says the idea is that once wardens are trained by police they will be introduced to her group's licensees, so they feel supported and know people that own and work at bars in the area. Brown doesn't just want licensees involved, but also Pacific Island youth and community groups such as GABA and ALBA, along with Prostitutes Collective and the Auckland City Mission. She wants anyone passionate about coming up with a community solutions to get in touch. KLIC made submissions on the Alcohol Reform Bill asking for instant fines for street drinkers, rather than arrests. The group is also talking to Auckland Council about ways to prevent people parking up and drinking in their cars, such as opening the Cross St Car Park after 10pm and maybe charging for parking in some streets after 6pm – something she is hesitant about as it could punish legitimate patrons. "Once again that's why I want the community input. People who have businesses or work around that area, to let us know how they might be affected and what solutions they suggest as well." You can contact Teresa Brown at teresa@pullbar.co.nz
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Thursday, 5th May 2011 - 1:32pm