Kawerau mayor says bigger signs needed for drinkers

Signs letting people know that there is no alcohol allowed in the town centre are being ignored. Photo / Supplied

Drinkers have been ignoring liquor ban signs in the Kawerau town centre and Kawerau mayor Malcolm Campbell says it will lead to people getting hurt.

At a Kawerau District Council projects and services committee meeting, he said the signs put up around town were too small and people were drinking underneath them.

He mentioned the access area behind Caymans Bar as an area he had seen people drinking in the past week.

"Most people, by the time they are haurangi (intoxicated) can't read the blimmin' things."

There had been two near fatalities in the backyard area behind the bar in recent years.

"We were told by [police] that the signs were going to sort the problem out; that we needed the signage.

In October 2020, a man was stabbed in the neck behind the bar in an incident that police at the time said involved members of the Mongrel Mob.

Before that, there was another serious beating in the backyard area.

The back entrance of Caymans Bar where Mayor Malcolm Campbell says he has witnessed people drinking alcohol off the premises. Photo / Supplied

The liquor ban signs were put up at the end of last year, but Mr Campbell is critical of the signs saying it looks as though the council isn't doing its job properly.

"I think the signage is wanting, to be brutally frank. These people are sitting under the sign drinking booze. You can see for yourself, there is two cameras right above them as well."

He took fire at Caymans Sports Bar, saying people shouldn't be allowed to come and go with alcohol through the back door of the bar.

The Whakatane Beacon spoke to Caymans Bar owner Colin Bowler who said he had concerns about people drinking in the street outside his bar too and was doing everything in his power to stop it. He said it had improved during the time he had owned the bar.

He said the back door was kept locked at night and the bar had 18 cameras set up which could be monitored from a screen behind the bar. He spot-checked it regularly.

"There are signs up and if we catch them going out there they're told if they do it again they will be trespassed. We've already had about 13 people trespassed.

"The problem is that people arrive and try to bring alcohol in. They drink out the back in their cars, which I went and saw the police about some time ago. Nothing ever gets done about it.

"I have no control about people in the car park or people in the front of the bar in Jellicoe Court if they decide to stand around on the grass drinking alcohol. We're doing everything we can, but people walk around this town all the time, drinking everywhere. The only way it could be stopped is for police to do regular checks."

Bowler said better signage would be a big help.

Regulatory and planning group manager Michaela Glaspey said she was working together with Kawerau Police Senior Sergeant Tristan Murray.

"He and I did a walk around recently. We acknowledge the signs are too small and we are looking at bigger signs. We are in the process of coming up with a plan for that.

Committee chairwoman Carolyn Ion asked for the matter to be added as an urgent action item for staff and called for a progress report on the issue with police.

"This is about the health and safety of our community," Ion said.

- Local Democracy Reporting is Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air