Wellington City-Wide Alcohol Ban

[Toast]

Hello folks!

This is a call to arms to all Beer Lovers from SOBA, the Society of Beer Advocates.


You may already be aware, but Wellington City Council will be holding a vote in June to ban the consumption of alcohol in public. This knee jerk reaction to a few students in Newtown creating a bit of trouble will penalize the majority – you and me – and will have little effect on the already largered-up Media Studies undergrad. You or I sitting down at the sea front for a picnic and popping the cap on a Tuatara Ardennes, Three Boys IPA or Epic Lager could see arrest and potential criminal record following in short order. Not good!


For those of you in Auckland, Napier or elsewhere, you also should be equally concerned as these things have a habit of being copied by councils who like to be seen to be ‘doing things’.

So what can you do?

You need to register your concern NOW. Submissions close on May 5th.

It’ll take you less than 3 minutes and could have a lasting positive impact for Beer Lovers in NZ.

We’ve created a ‘pro-forma’ email that you can use (send it to [e-mail]), adding your own comments and of course, your own name and details. You can find it at the SOBA website, here where we’ve also included a link to our press release, some other articles on the matter and a link to the Council website where, if you prefer, you can use the Council’s own web form to respond to this issue.

So what are you waiting for? SOBA’s here to fight for your rights, but we’ll only succeed if you lend your support where it counts!

Cheers,

Martin Bulmer
SOBA Committee

[Reviled]

TBH, its pretty much allready like that everywhere in Auckland, including all of the beaches, but generally if youre just having a picnic with your wife with a bottle of wine or a couple of beers no one is gonna worry about it, sure they could if they wanted to be pricks about it, but I think generally the rule is in place to stop people loitering and getting absolutely smashed in the streets and outside shops etc...

[Toast]

Hey Reviled,
Whenever the police get new powers you can bet your life they will find new and interesting ways to use them, never as intended. Stop and Search being a good example. I've also yet to hear a Policeman say 'No, we're fine, we don't need any more powers thank you'. This law's just not necessary, so if we have the chance to stop them taking the power, we should.

[Greig McGill]

Amen Martin. That said, I have a ton of respect for the cops. They are not the problem. It's the damn politicians who think regulation is the answer to everything. Stop voting for them. They'll go away then.

[Toast]

Respect is not the issue. They are people doing a difficult job under trying circumstances, most of the time. But like everyone they tend to find ingenious ways of using what they are given. Give a Brummie (someone from Birmingham) two hammers and he can remove a tightened nut. The nut will be useless and there's every chance the hammers will be f*cked too. It's the same with police and laws.