Bid to stage alternative Gardies event fails

Suggestions that the Dunedin City Council organise an alternative event to help avert crowd trouble when students farewell the Gardens Tavern in North Dunedin were yesterday ignored.

The calls came at yesterday's full council meeting in Dunedin, when councillors considered a police request for a temporary liquor ban covering much of North Dunedin for June 18-20.

Police say the temporary ban is needed to control an expected crowd of 1500 past and present students likely to travel from throughout New Zealand to attend the student pub's closure on June 19.

The city hosts the All Blacks v Wales test match at Carisbrook the same night.

The pub is allowed to hold 550 people, but up to 1500 are expected to gather at the hotel, in surrounding streets and at flat parties.

Several councillors at yesterday's meeting attempted to open the door for an organised event - possibly involving a band at the University of Otago or a licensed marquee on Castle St - but the move was defeated.

A call by Cr Colin Weatherall to close the pub's doors a week early, to avoid possible crowd trouble, was also ignored.

Councillors instead voted to approve an expanded temporary liquor ban zone, which would include the Dunedin Botanic Garden to prevent people unable to enter the pub from drinking there.

Council staff approached the pub's owner, Peter Innes-Jones, to discuss organising a marquee covering the pub's car park, "but he doesn't want that", council liquor licensing and projects officer Kevin Mechen told yesterday's meeting.

Cr Paul Hudson argued the council should be "more proactive" in organising an event for people unable to get into the pub.

Cr Dave Cull suggested a music event on the University of Otago's Union lawn to "soak up the excess", and Cr Bill Acklin suggested shutting part of Castle St and allowing a private operator to run a licensed marquee.

That would be no different from the licensed marquee planned for the Octagon on the same night to cater for rugby fans, he said.

Mayor Peter Chin questioned what responsibility the council had to help organise the Gardens Tavern event, other than providing the police with extra powers to control the crowd.

Crs Kate Wilson and Chris Staynes believed the council should not be considering providing more alcohol to people in the area, which would only lead to more trouble.

Cr Acklin's recommendation - that council staff investigate ways of providing alternative licensed space for the crowd expected at the Gardies closure - was defeated by one vote.

Crs Acklin, Cull, Hudson, Andrew Noone, Neil Collins, Teresa Stevenson and deputy mayor Syd Brown voted for the recommendation, while Crs Staynes, Weatherall, Wilson, Richard Walls, John Bezett, Fliss Butcher, Michael Guest and Mayor Peter Chin voted against.

Councillors voted to approve the temporary liquor ban from midday on June 18 to midday on June 20, including the Dunedin Botanic Garden.