Council has made some changes to alcohol ban areas, following public consultation earlier this year.
The Alcohol Control Bylaw 2020 contains rules for managing alcohol related harm, crime, and disorder in the Waikato district. It outlines where and when people can drink alcohol in public places. The bylaw has been in place since 2020 and, under Section 158 of the Local Government Act 2002, Council must review the bylaw no later than five years after it is adopted.
When reviewing the bylaw staff looked at data provided by New Zealand Police to understand the frequency and types of alcohol-related incidents that had occurred across our district over a five-year period, says Waikato District Council Regulatory Services Manager, Rochelle Deane. NZ Police enforce this bylaw and during this period responded to 722 incidents. Raglan, Huntly, and Tuakau had the highest number of alcohol-related incidents reported to Police.
“The bylaw is a preventative tool used by NZ Police to respond to alcohol-related anti-social behaviour and Council worked closely with NZ Police to understand areas of concern.”
From 30 October to 8 December 2024 Council carried out informal engagement with the community to get feedback about alcohol ban areas across the district. There were 126 survey responses. From 15 May to 15 June public consultation on the proposed changes to the bylaw was undertaken. Council received 56 submissions, and eight submitters spoke at the council hearing on 29 July 2025.
The Policy and Regulatory Committee considered public feedback and deliberated on the proposed changes to the bylaw on 29 July 2025. All written and verbal submissions were carefully considered and the feedback received helped shape Council’s final decisions.
“At deliberations the committee discussed all of the proposed changes and indicated that they do not wish to be overly restrictive on people’s ability to consume alcohol sensibly, however, are aiming to strike a balance where our communities feel safe,” says Deane.
Changes to the Alcohol Control Bylaw 2020 were adopted on 18 August 2025. The Bylaw can be found on our website: https://www.waikatodistrict.govt.nz/your-council/plans-policies-and-bylaws/bylaws
- Alcohol ban areas in parks, reserves, and esplanades in Pookeno, Tuakau, and Huntly
Council was proposing an alcohol ban from 9pm Thursday until 9am Monday in parks, reserves, and esplanades. However, Council decided not to make any changes to these times. Parks, reserves, esplanades, and cemeteries will remain alcohol ban areas from 9pm to 9am daily. - Self-contained vehicles
As proposed through consultation, Clause 11.2 has been added, allowing people to drink alcohol within self-contained vehicles when adhering to certain restrictions. After considering feedback from the community Council decided to add Clause 11.3 to exclude James St from the exception (Clause 11.2). - Taupiri (Map 2)
As proposed through consultation, the alcohol ban area in Taupiri has been extended to include the car park/boat ramp area opposite Taupiri Maunga/urupaa and includes more public land between the roundabout and Mangawara Stream. - Huntly (Map 3a and 3b)
As proposed through consultation, the mapped area in Huntly has been extended to include Te Ohaki Rd and out along Great South Rd to East Mine Rd to Tawa Road and James Rd. The ban area has been extended south to include all residential areas along Tregoweth Lane. - Te Kauwhata (Map 4)
As proposed through consultation, the mapped area in Te Kauwhata has been extended to include the new Lakeside Development area. - Pookeno (Map 6)
As proposed through consultation, the mapped area in Pookeno has been extended to include the town centre and industrial areas. - Tuakau (Map7)
As proposed through consultation, the mapped area in Tuakau has been extended to include the town centre and key roads, with the exception of the ban area on Escotts Rd. This has been removed. - Raglan (Map 8)
As proposed through consultation, the mapped area in Raglan has been extended to include the whole town centre and key roads. - Raglan district (Map 9)
As proposed through consultation, the seasonal alcohol control times for Raglan district have been extended from 23 Dec to 6 Jan to 23 Dec to 10 Feb each year. - Mercer
Council consulted on adding an alcohol ban area to include the river front and service centre area. However, Council decided not to have an alcohol ban area in Mercer.
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