Palmerston North bar staff against 2am curfew
A Palmerston North bar owner claims a vocal minority has influenced the council in its decision to reduce bars and clubs closing times from 3am to 2am.
Martin Wang owns The Office, a central bar down Main Street and a popular nightlife spot in the city. He says he is sympathetic to the pressure the city’s councilors are facing from the public, but he believes the proposed measures set to be implemented in August this year are ineffectual and unnecessary. “A very small percentage of people talk about violence and make a big noise, making the media think it’s a big deal and putting pressure on councilors. The sample size must be big enough to show that change is wanted. But I’d say 90% don’t care between 2am or 3am even.”
He says violence had not been increasing recently on Main Street at least, and as for the violence that did occur, alcohol could not take the full blame as incidents came from those who were already inclined to be aggressive and argumentative. “Stopping alcohol won’t stop the violence. I believe that’s the wrong track.”
He believes an earlier curfew would only worsen the problem as restless young people who still had energy to burn would try and find something else to do. “Lots of young people go looking for afterparties at 2am.”
He estimates that with the policy change, over 100 staff throughout Palmy bars would potentially have some hours cut. He says his observations were based off his 10 years of experience and a voluntary six-month trial of the 2am closing which 12 Palmerston North bars, his own included, undertook in 2017. “Six months and it didn’t change anything.”
Bar manager at the Brewer Apprentice, Dylan, also recalls the trial and agrees the policy will not do anything to remedy issues with alcohol-induced violence. “On paper, it looks really good, but in practice it’s not going to really help the situation. All that closing the bars at 2 will do is encourage people to start drinking earlier, encourage more binge drinking,” he says.
He has observed that the Council’s concern over increasing alcohol-induced violence in central areas like Main Street and Broadway are still justified. “I wouldn’t say it is extreme, but I would say there has definitely been an increase in alcohol-induced violence.” However, he believes the most effective way to reduce alcohol-fueled conflict is further spacing out the time people have to leave town. “They could extend the curfew out to 4am, like in Wellington. What that does is it spaces everything out more in terms of everyone going home at the same time.”
The policy is due to come into action in August. It has gone through seven years and three rounds of consultation and only one councilor out of 16 remains against the change.