KEY POINTS:
Central Auckland in the early hours is not a sophisticated sight. The people thronging bars and dance clubs that are open well after midnight seem to be teenagers or not much older, tarty or scruffy and more or less inebriated. Thanks to all-night licensing, some of them are still in the city at daybreak, tired and too happy.
Brawls happen. Auckland Central police have to cope with more violence between the hours of 11pm and 5am than is recorded in cities without 24-hour licensing.
They want the city council to introduce a curfew requiring all bars to close their doors at 1am and stop serving liquor at 3am. Mayor John Banks says no. "This is an international city," he says.
His instincts are right if his claim is suspect. The city should not restrict its nightlife without more reason that the police have provided.
"Nothing good happens after 3am," says the officer in charge. Maybe not, but something seriously bad should be happening for restrictions to be imposed on the rights of all.
Bars put their licences at risk if they serve people plainly drunk. They generally employ bouncers and much of the brawling no doubt involves those thrown out or turned away. It is hard to see that a mass turnout at 3am would quieten the trouble-makers, though it might simplify police rostering.
Nearly 300 nightspots in central Auckland have 24-hour licences; only 50 find it worth staying open all night. Clearly the demand is limited but it is not as clear that nothing good is happening. Young people start late and party long.
The stayers might not be a sophisticated set - yet - but they and the bars have rights that should not be lightly withdrawn. Police should deal with the troublesome and let the rest see the dawn.
