KEY POINTS:
Holidaymakers who party to excess on Waiheke Island are set to be tackled in a clampdown on boozing.
A pilot project - the Waiheke Sensible Host Initiative - is likely to become a model for similar "sensible host" initiatives in other parts of Auckland.
An initial meeting was held last month between Auckland City Council, the Waiheke Island Council of Social Services (Wicoss) and the Youth Access to Alcohol (Yata) branch on the island.
Wicoss is made up of social practitioners, including doctors and other medical professionals.
A follow-up workshop is planned in March with alcohol retailers at licensed premises, vineyards, pubs and sports clubs, rather than off-licence outlets.
Stakeholders will also be asked to brainstorm ideas for increasing safety around alcohol-related behaviour.
The results of the workshop will form the basis for more community action, with a further discussion meeting planned for later in the year.
The project is aimed at making sure everyone is safe on the island, by raising awareness of the need to always have a sober driver.
The project initially started in mid-December, with council teams distributing an information pack on ideas for responsible hosting which was
sent out to all alcohol vendors on Waiheke.
It is hoped that an alcohol strategy for the island will be up and running later this year and during the next summer busy season.
- NZPA
