A Dunedin man is dead after he was allegedly punched while queuing at an inner-city McDonald's restaurant early on Saturday.
The 51-year-old died in Dunedin Hospital on Saturday night, after an incident in the George St restaurant at 4.45am.
The Otago Daily Times understands the man had finished shift work and was waiting in a queue for food when he was punched by the alleged offender.
It was unknown whether alcohol was a factor in the assault.
A 23-year-old Christchurch man appeared in Dunedin District Court on Saturday charged with assault.
[comment caption=What can be done to prevent street violence?]The man, who was granted interim name suppression, was remanded in custody and would reappear tomorrow on more serious charges, Detective John MacDade said.
Police were reviewing CCTV footage from the outlet, and were appealing for any witnesses to contact Dunedin police on (03) 471-4800.
Det MacDade confirmed the victim and alleged offender were not known to each other.
The man's death comes less than a month after Dunedin Mayor Dave Cull spoke out about drunken violence on city streets.
Mr Cull told the ODT yesterday he would be addressing alcohol-fuelled violence as part of council's submission to the Alcohol Reform Bill, at a special justice and electoral committee forum in Dunedin today.
It was "tragic" violence was used to solve issues, with alcohol often a contributing factor, and local councils needed more say in how liquor was supplied and sold, Mr Cull said.
Dunedin and Clutha area commander Inspector Dave Campbell said police had increased patrols in the central business district but "you can't be everywhere".
While the city's levels of serious crime were not as high as in some centres, alcohol-fuelled assaults were a "concern".
There appeared to be a "significant problem with people's level of intoxication", and in particular people "pre-loading" on cheap alcohol before they came into the CBD.
McDonald's New Zealand spokeswoman Christine Dennis said the outlet's franchisee, managers and staff "were traumatised by the incident and devastated by news of the death of the man".
She confirmed two security guards were present at the time of the incident, and security arrangements would be reviewed.
"McDonald's takes its responsibility to provide a safe and secure environment for staff and customers extremely seriously," she said.
