Cautious line taken on grog at Auckland NRL Nines

Fans get into the spirit of the Auckland Nines at Eden Park. Photo / Richard Robinson

There were just two arrests for intoxication over two days at last year's sold-out inaugural Auckland NRL Nines tournament.

However, with another bumper crowd expected for the weekend of January 31 and February 1, organisers will not be taking any risks with the event's alcohol management policies this year.

Chief executive of Duco Events Martin Snedden, in charge of running the Nines, said the New Year's Eve riot at the BW Festival in Gisborne demonstrated what could happen when alcohol consumption was poorly managed at large events.

The unrest at the festival, which included fences being pulled down and terrified campers forced to shelter from a hail of missiles, saw 80 people injured and 63 arrested.

"Without doubt that will have caused reputational issues for that festival that will haunt them in future years," Mr Snedden said.

"From our point of view we are really keen to make sure that our patrons can really enjoy an environment where they can have a drink, but if the situation is moving in the wrong direction, we move quick enough to protect the vast majority of people who just want to enjoy what is happening in the stadium and on the field."

More than 40,000 water bottles will be handed out at the gate and the number of free water outlets where the bottles can be filled will be increased.

Crowd behaviour will be closely monitored and alcohol sales either restricted or stopped if patrons threaten to become unruly.

The size of the alcohol-free "family zone" inside Eden Park had also been doubled from 750 seats to 1500.

Bars within the ground shut before the semifinals on the second day at last year's tournament. The move had angered some patrons, but Mr Snedden said the same cautious approach would be taken.

"Yep, we are going to annoy a small number of patrons but we are prepared to wear that," he said. "We know there are quite a few patrons that would love the bar to stay open to the end. But I think it is pretty well known that after five or six hours, particularly in the sun, that levels of intoxication rise and problems start to emerge.

"If that is clearly the case, then from our point of view we want to do what we can to knock that on the head."

He said lessons could be learned from Wellington's rugby sevens tournament, which had struggled to control intoxication and had suffered a decline in ticket sales.