Bylaw strikes sour note for busker

Jimi Hart believes the "rigorous process" will deter buskers from coming to Whangarei. Photo / Michael Cunningham

Whangarei's first "preferred" busker is not singing the praises of a new bylaw he says could deter talented travelling buskers from the city.

Rock ballad singer and guitar player Jimi Hart is the first street performer to receive a busking permit from Whangarei District Council (WDC), allowing him to play more than three hours per week, after the Public Places Bylaw came into effect on October 6.

The new bylaw requires that for a permit, buskers must complete a "preferred buskers" application form, and then receive support from three businesses in the area they plan to perform in.

"It's going to be impossible if you're not known to the retailers or townsfolk. We are not going to attract a professional busker into the town with these rules in place," Mr Hart said.

But the council anticipates the new bylaw provision will encourage quality buskers to come to Whangarei, according to WDC customer services team leader Marc Donaldson.

"The aim is not to deter buskers, anyone can busk up to an hour a day to a maximum of three hours a week without a permit. If travelling buskers come into town, they can busk within those time limits or apply for a permit through this process," he said.

Mr Hart, a professional busker of 30 years, believes the "rigorous process" will deter buskers from coming to Whangarei, as well as curb the variety of buskers as they will be subject to the judgment and tastes of a handful of business owners.

"Who can call themselves a good critic of what makes a good street performance? A young person may want to sing rap ballads. They shouldn't be treated any differently from country and western and rock singers like me," he said.

Mr Hart has spent the past three years living in his three-storey housebus in Whangarei and is off next month to travel the length of the country, busking in cities and towns along the way. The 50-year-old, originally from Hawke's Bay, places Whangarei at the top of the country in terms of busking - but believes that will change with the new bylaw.

Mr Donaldson said the permit was introduced to provide a balance between permitting individuals to busk for a limited time, and allowing and encouraging those buskers who had greater talent and professionalism.