A surge in the number of people seeking treatment at Hamilton's hospital on Saturday was caused by drinking at home rather than in bars, the city's mayor says.
Waikato Hospital recorded a significant increase in intoxicated people last Saturday on 'Crate Day' - a day which encourages people to drink beer to celebrate the start of summer.
Crate Day encourages people to drink beer to celebrate the start of summer. Photo: Flickr / julián
Waikato Hospital emergency department head John Bonning said it was overrun with drunk patients last Saturday and had to bring in extra staff to cope.
Some patients waited 11 hours to be seen.
Dr Bonning said lockout laws, which deny entry to licensed premises after certain times, have reduced hospital presentations in cities such as Sydney.
But Hamilton mayor Andrew King said the issues on Crate Day would not be solved by a lockout law, as people were buying crates to drink at home.
However, Mr King said he supported a lockout proposal that was rejected by the previous council.