Kaitī school backs alcohol ban as council considers bylaw options
A Gisborne school principal says they would welcome an alcohol ban in the Kaitī area as people regularly gather to drink at the bus stop outside Kaitī Mall and across the road from their school.
Councillors decided last year an alcohol bylaw would be the best way to control drinking in public spaces.
Alcohol is banned from Gisborne’s city-centre streets, with a temporary ban that includes Midway Beach over the New Year period while the Rhythm and Vines festival takes place.
At a recent council workshop, councillors discussed several options including extending the R&V temporary alcohol ban and making it permanent (from the city centre to Midway); banning drinking in some parts of Midway; and banning alcohol consumption around Kaitī Mall and the surrounding areas.
Kaitī School principal Billie-Jean Potaka Ayton said an alcohol ban in the Kaitī area “would be a good move for the community” as they have had to call the police several times.
“We have groups of males drinking in the Kaitī bus shelter during the day on certain days of the week.
“Not only is it a bad thing for our kids to be seeing when walking to and from school, but also unsafe.
“These guys need to have a good, hard look at themselves.”
The bus shelter is also used by secondary school students, she said.
A resident who uses the bus stop, John Jefferies, says broken glass is a frequent issue and encouraged the ban.
During the workshop, Gisborne Deputy Mayor Josh Wharehinga said he believed the ban should include the mall, the area around the school, and the park.
“I’ve already seen a few comments that have been online from concerned parents, from concerned community members who have had to jump out and intervene,” he said.
According to the report, police responded to 755 alcohol-related incidents in the Kaitī area between September 2019 and June 2024, and these records account for 15.7% of the district.
Kaitī also saw a steady increase from 135 incidents in 2020 to 203 in 2023.
Council staff will adapt the options based on feedback and present council with a draft plan of the alcohol ban areas in March.
Once councillors adopt a draft plan, it will go out for public consultation.