Wildfoods booze limits loom

Community Public Health officials have recommended that next year’s Hokitika Wildfoods Festival should be a much more sober event, after an undercover police operation this year found that both underage and intoxicated patrons were still able to buy booze.

A report from Community Public Health (CPH) said intoxicated people were observed at this year’s festival within one hour of the gates opening. Drunk patrons were still being served alcohol. As a result of the findings, it has made several recommendations to better control the flow of alcohol at the festival, including restricting the number of liquor outlets to 10, and then restricting them to serving just two drinks to each customer. The health agency also recommended that ID wristbands be compulsory for everyone, and that from 3pm onwards the outlets should serve a low 2.5% alcohol content beer. Another recommendation was that all beer outlets should ensure that staff undergo training before the festival to enable them to spot signs of intoxication and prevent the sale of alcohol to underage people. Extra security staff should also be employed to screen patrons for proof of age, the report said. Festival co-ordinator Mike Keenan said the report had put forward some proactive measures, and was evidence of a much better relationship between CPH and the festival than had been seen in the past.
“We are still at the discussion stage but we are all keen to deal with the alcohol issues surrounding the festival,” he said.
Mr Keenan said many of those intoxicated at the festival were already drunk before they gained access to the Cass Square venue, and that was a problem that would have to be addressed for next year. A meeting was planned for next month to further discuss the issues raised in the report, he said. Police conducted an undercover sting operation at the festival and had warned several of the community groups that ran alcohol outlets for serving underage drinkers, although no one has been prosecuted. The Hokitika Golf Club, which ran the two beer tents this year, was among those warned but treasurer Geoff Day said that was the same for nine out of 11 alcohol outlets at the festival. He added that although compulsory wristbands was a good idea, in his opinion the crowd had been better behaved this year than at previous festivals.