New Years Eve celebrations which attract thousands of young people at Mount Maunganui could be canned after they were deemed too costly and unsafe.
The current New Year's eve celebrations had become dangers for some, Tauranga's mayor said. Photo: RNZ / Justine Murray
The Tauranga City Council will today decide on recommendations about whether to keep the event, or axe it.
A new report written by the General Manager of City Transformation for Tauranga City Council, Jaine Lovell-Gadd, offers the council two new possibilities.
The first is to keep the council run event at Main Beach in Mount Maunganui and increase the police presence, which will cost council $784,000.
The second option is to can the council organised event altogether, and instead focus on family friendly events such as fireworks, which would be $200,000 cheaper.
In both cases, a youth event at the ASB Arena will be offered for those aged 18 and under.
In the report Ms Lovell-Gadd said the council needed to shift from managing public disorder to managing public safety.
The report said the New Year's event was the riskiest event of the year in Mount Manuganui.
Tauranga mayor Stuart Crosby said the current event had become dangerous for some.
He said in recent times many young vulnerable people were turning up highly intoxicated and becoming involved in risk-taking behaviour.
Stuart Crosby said he was happy to be called a party-pooper if it meant lives were saved. Photo: SUPPLIED
"What we have found is people coming from all around the central North Island, getting pre-loaded and specifically coming to this event."
"As an event owner, which Tauranga City Council is, we'll be considering not to hold that event, fundamentally based around public safety," Mr Crosby said.
Mr Crosby said there would still be a considerable police presence at the beach, even if an official event was canned.
He said he was happy to be called a party pooper if it saved a life.
In the report, police said that while the amount of crime hadn't increased at the event, there was a noticeable spike in the seriousness of the crimes committed.
It said that sexual offending and serious assaults were on the rise.
Mr Crosby said canning the official event wouldn't have any major impact on the local economy.