Wed 18 Jun 2014 In: Our Communities View at Wayback View at NDHA
Billed as the city 'where the show never stops' Auckland Council wants to make the show stop at 3AM in the CBD. Could this kill the city's gay night life? What’s happening? On the back of the blanket 4AM closing time introduced in December, Auckland Council is now proposing to shut bars and clubs in the CBD, K’ Rd and Ponsonby at 3AM, and in all other areas at 1AM. After 12 months, ‘best practice operators’ would be able to apply for a trial extension of their hours. The proposals are part of Auckland’s Draft Local Alcohol Policy – which is open for public submissions until 16 July, and follows Council discussions with police, the medical officer of health and licensing inspectors. You can have your say by making a submission here The gist of it is: 3AM closure for licensed premises in the CBD (including K’ Rd) and Ponsonby, 1AM closure for the rest of the city. “Best-practice” operators can apply for a two hour extension after a year Alcohol can only be sold between 9AM and 10PM at off-licences A two year freeze on new off-licences in the central city, and high risk areas. No new off-licences in small neighbourhood centres unless approved by a special committee. Auckland Council says the draft policy "aims to minimise alcohol-related harm, while supporting the Auckland Plan’s vision for a vibrant city for residents and visitors to enjoy". “It’s quite baffling” The most controversial aspect of the proposal is the 3AM blanket ban. The dance party community is up in arms, saying it would unfairly impact people who want till dance the night away – or as DJ and music producer Rob Warner puts it, will punish the majority who drink responsibly rather than the “drunken idiots” who have been allowed to run riot for so long. Theta's Foreplay dance party - where busy floors had to be cleared at 4AM. Jordan Eskra from gay dance party company Theta Project agrees. “As a foreigner who has come here, who has really enjoyed the night life, I just can’t believe that I’m standing here watching it get stripped away from us. It’s quite baffling.” He says Theta’s dance parties, and Auckland Pride’s big dance night out Proud, haven’t had a single issue. “It’s not the gay community or gay parties that are causing problems, yet they’re being massively penalised.” Eskra says the impact of the 4AM blanket closure, introduced in just December, hasn’t even been properly assessed yet. However, it went down like a lead balloon at Theta Project’s May party Foreplay. “Both dance floors had people on them. We had a pumping hip hop floor, we had a pumping main room floor. We had to legally get everyone out of there by four o’clock and everyone was commenting on that,” Eskra says. The proposed 3AM closure appears to fly in the face of Auckland's 'The Show Never Stops' marketing campaign “From a dance party perspective it’s harder to attract international DJ talent and getting people to pay the prices that are required for that, to be thrown onto the street with nowhere to go at three o’clock in the morning. “If you look at all international gay cities, gay destinations, there are places to continue to party and gays with disposable income want to come here to party and we’re telling them on one hand ‘The Show Never Stops’ and the other hand ‘it stops at 1AM’.” Eskra says police figures show the rates of the crimes they are worried about have come down, and he strongly disagrees with a senior Auckland police officer’s much-publicised claim that “nothing good happens after 3AM”. “It just shows how removed they are from the night life in this city,” he says, adding “One of the councillors also said at their recent meeting ‘do people still stay out till five o’clock in the morning?’” Wellington City Council’s proposed 3AM closure was dumped after public consultation and Eskra says Aucklanders now need to have their say. “People can’t just sit there, they need to say something. They need to let the Council know that they feel strongly about this … well I hope they do feel strongly.” He says even those who only go out once in a while need to speak up. “Their personal liberty’s being stripped from them. Everyone needs to go and fill out that form.” It will “kill the life out of our nightclubs” Someone who knows Auckland’s gay night life only too well is James ‘Chocs’ Laverty, who saw the impact of the relatively recent 4AM closure first-hand while working as a duty manager at K’ Rd gay hub Family Bar. He's taking a break from working at Family right now, but says the 4AM closure in itself is a “joke” and a “silly law”. The dancefloor at K' Rd's Family Bar “People still come out late and party from 12-4AM, people do not buy a lot of drinks when they are out at the clubs, more are well tanked up before they even think of hitting the club. Also, look at the prices for a drink when you’re out - no cheap alcohol is on sale. It’s been a big loss to staff wages and the bar turnover with the 4AM close.” Laverty says a 3AM closure will “kill the life out of our nightclubs”. “It’s really unfair that we all have to live in a nanny state with going home early because the lawmakers will not stop to listen to people like myself that are in the scene and can see the problems. “Our community is a safe community and everyone on a night looks after each other or if someone as had too much they know we are not going to let them into the club.” Laverty maintains the problems on the streets are coming in from other parts of Auckland. “People come to town drunk as, because they have got more than they can handle from the cheap off-licenses and supermarkets.” Laverty (right) in the Halloween spirit at Family He believes cutting the CBD closure time back another hour to 3AM is therefore not the answer. “If you look at the problem all over New Zealand it’s right across the board with cheap alcohol being sold and the age that people can now buy it. This problem is not from the bars or the way we service, or time. “The age should go back to 21 for off-licenses and supermarkets, and bars 18. This will really have an impact where it is need. “Clubs and managers do their very best to make sure people are safe and drink responsibly. Lawmakers really need to get it right and see where the big problems are right over New Zealand and a time change is not going to fix it.” However he’s not convinced the authorities will even pay attention. “This Government and Council never listen to the people that work in these communities and bar life, I guess they are going to do what they want no matter what my view as a bar manager or bar owners views are.” The Oxford St effect In March, Sydney brought in a ‘last drinks at 3AM’ law, along with a tough 1.30AM lock-out, which has left gay bars and clubs struggling. Former Aucklander Matt Akersten, now editor of Australian lgbt website Samesame.com.au, says Aucklanders should be very worried about their valuable lgbt nightlife if the proposed law is passed. “The 1.30AM lock-out law in Sydney has led to takings at Oxford Street's gay venues to decrease by an average of 30 per cent each. Punters are being left stranded on the streets after 1.30AM hits,” he says. “Our people feel safest inside our own well-run venues, not tossed outside on the streets where the violence has been occurring." What do you think? Will 3AM closures clean up the streets, or kill our night life? Opinion pieces are welcome to news@gaynz.com Jacqui Stanford - 18th June 2014