Party town fights decision to shut early

It has a reputation as a tourist town that never sleeps, but just how long people should be able to party in Queenstown is the focus of heated debate that is set to go before the Appeal Court.

Queenstown has more licensed premises per capita than anywhere else in the country. But with that comes more drunken disorder and violence.

Last year, 24-hour licences for the bars were revoked in favour of a 4am closing. This decision is due to be challenged by bar owners in court next month, while the Liquor Licensing Authority is also reviewing the closing times.

Queenstown police argue it should be a 2am closing.

"While restricting the opening hours, and thereby restricting the hours that alcohol is for sale at on-licenses, you are on average going to reduce the level of drunkenness around the town, and the associated problems that flow from that," said Senior Sergeant John Fookes. "Based on our own observations, we think 2am is about where it should sit."

Russell Gray, whose company owns several bars in the Queenstown region, said although he wanted the right to open 24 hours, that did not mean his bars would.

"If the police that work here want to be tucked up in bed by 2am, well they're in the wrong town," Mr Gray said.

Mr Fookes said a lot of people in the hospitality industry had a "vested interest" in a later closing.

But when there were closings around 2am in the late 1990s "nobody went bust".

"A commonly expressed view ... is people come into town with a certain amount of money, and they will spend it whether they spend it at night in the bars, or early in the evening, or during the day on other things."

Mr Gray said millions of dollars had been invested in hospitality in Queenstown to make it the tourism mecca it is.

He said police would be better to focus on the cheap alcohol available from supermarkets that people were drinking in the suburbs before hitting the bars.