A proposed multi-day youth music festival in the Coromandel which received opposition from police has been given a green light following a hearing.
Independent commissioner Dr Phil Mitchell, in his written decision, said he was satisfied that consent for the New Year Whangamatā event could be granted, subject to conditions which included it being limited to those aged 16 and over, alcohol and drug-free, and capped at 6000 attendees per day.
Despite police raising specific concerns around disorder, underage drinking and drug use in the town over the holiday period, Mitchell said the event would provide a “much-needed opportunity for the considerable number of young people who converged on Whangamatā each Christmas/ New Year period to assemble in a safe and controlled location”.
Police did not have further comment to add to their submission when contacted by the Hauraki Coromandel Post.
Ollie Events Ltd had applied for a restricted discretionary resource consent for a two-day, outdoor, alcohol-free youth festival to be held on December 30 and 31 – with alternative dates of January 1-2 or January 2-3 –for up to 6000 people at Aickin Road Sports Reserve for a term of five years.
Correspondence goes back to 2022 when Thames-Coromandel District Council confirmed it had been working with an event organiser who was applying for a one-off resource consent for a music event at the reserve.
The application was referred to Mitchell in September 2023 to make a decision on whether or not it should be processed on a public, limited or non-notification basis.
Despite a recommendation from the council’s planning consultant that the application should be processed on a non-notified basis, Mitchell determined public notification was required.
After public notification of the application, 62 submissions were received: 26 in support, 34 in opposition and two that were neutral. Three late submissions were also received, all in support of the application.
Statistics taken from the police submission.
At a hearing in Thames last month, police inspector Mike Henwood spoke to his original submission, filed on behalf of the police, saying that if the event proceeded, it would be one more location that police resources would need to manage, a particular concern being his expectation that significant numbers of young people would head to the beach area once the New Year event concluded.
He was particularly concerned about “mob mentality” and the difficulties associated with identifying and managing “ringleaders”.
Police staff rosters for this Christmas/ New Year period had already been set, no more staff would be available and accommodation for out-of-town police needed to be booked a year in advance.
Thames-Coromandel District Council also submitted, saying the outdoor event would not meet the permitted standards as it would exceed the permitted noise level of 40 decibels on the site boundaries from 10pm to 12.10am and a 70 dBA LAF maximum noise level would occur for a consecutive period of more than 24 hours.
The council also said the event could exceed rules related to the number of vehicles allowed.
Mitchell said the event was appropriately sited in a recreation active zone, would result in a level of security in the vicinity of Aickin Rd Sports Reserve that would not otherwise be the case at that time, and sat comfortably with the requirements of the statutory planning documents.
Its environmental effects were acceptable.
“There has been no information provided about the direct and indirect economic benefits to businesses and suppliers and while such benefits will no doubt be realised, I have given that aspect little weight, as I consider the primary benefits relate to having an organised event for young people who would otherwise have very limited opportunities for organised entertainment.”
The site is about 350m northwest of Whangamatā town centre and is used for cricket during summer and rugby in winter. It has grass embankments on the perimeter, broken up by clubrooms and netball courts along the northeastern boundary, with cricket nets and a Scout Hall on the southwest boundary.
Ollie Events had provided an event management plan including for crowd safety and security management, lighting, fencing, toilets, rubbish and recycling.
It would employ 51 operational staff, with a contingency of seven additional staff if required.
In its application, Ollie Events said while the District Plan permitted a total of 1000 people in a recreation active zone for an event, its chosen site was more than 3ha and large enough to cater for events of the size proposed.
Access would be controlled by a comprehensive traffic management plan and implemented by a traffic management company.
That included a proposed bus route to serve the main areas of the town.
It concluded the actual movement of vehicles associated with the festival would have less than a minor effect in terms of the ongoing operation and safety of the surrounding network, assisted by the traffic management plan.
The number of people attending an event did not necessarily influence how much noise would be generated for neighbours, the application said.
An attached noise report recommended amplified music should not exceed a measured level of 95dBA when measured 25m from the stage, sound checks not to exceed 30 minutes and 85dBA, and that the surrounding community be advised of the event via a letterbox drop a minimum of seven days before the event.
In conclusion, Ollie Events submitted that the short-term nature of the event and proposed event hours would ensure the character and amenity of the surrounding environment would be maintained and the effects on the environment would be less than minor.
Kim Hobson, in the event management plan, said the ticketed youth event would accommodate a range of New Zealand music artists and provide entertainment for a youth demographic audience. Entry would be restricted to 16- to 19-year-olds.
