Submissions have closed on the Alcohol Control Bylaw: Ture ā-Rohe Whakahaere Waipiro.

Late submissions are considered on a case-by-case basis, see our Submission Policy

Masterton District Council has a set of rules that control alcohol in public places - this is called the Alcohol Control Bylaw: Ture ā-Rohe Whakahaere Waipiro. The Police are responsible for enforcing the bylaw.

The bylaw does things like create alcohol-free zones at the park and the beach to make sure our community feel safe to enjoy our public spaces.

We think the bylaw is generally working well but we're proposing a few changes that you can read about below. If you have ideas or comments, read the Statement of Proposal and complete your feedback before Wednesday 25 March.

Consultation closes Wednesday 25 March 2026.

Alcohol-free zones do not apply to unopened containers of alcohol being legitimately transported to or from nearby premises (see section 147 of the Local Government Act 2002).

Timeline

  • Timeline item 1 - complete

    Consultation Opens

    Wednesday 25 February

  • Timeline item 2 - complete

    Consultation Closes

    Wednesday 25 March

  • Timeline item 3 - active

    Hearings

    Wednesday 15 April - Councillors will hear from anyone who wants to present their ideas in person.

  • Timeline item 4 - incomplete

    Deliberations Meeting

    Wednesday 20 May

  • Timeline item 5 - incomplete

    Council meeting

    Wednesday 24 June - Councillors meet to consider adopting the bylaw.

  • Timeline item 6 - incomplete

    Bylaw takes effect

    If the bylaw is adopted it will take effect from July 2026.

Tā tātou tono │Our Proposal

We think the bylaw could be improved to make sure it's easy to understand and meets the needs of our community for the future.


What we propose Reason for Proposal

Update the Bylaw to outline the general provisions and processes relating to alcohol-free zones (section 4 of the Proposed Bylaw).

This provides clearer guidance on how alcohol-free zones are established, varied, or revoked, to improve transparency and ensure the Bylaw is easy to understand and apply.

Move the actual alcohol restrictions to schedules attached to the body of the Bylaw.

The Council will more easily be able to update or amend alcohol-free zones over the life of the Bylaw (10 years) in response to emerging issues. This approach is consistent with how several other Councils approach alcohol-free zones.

Remove the ‘Council Permission’ section, and make changes to clarify that the Bylaw:

  • does not apply to alcohol licences (refer to section 6), and
  • that a Special License may permit people to drink in alcohol-free zones when a special event is taking place (refer to section 6).

To remove ambiguity about how the Bylaw interacts with alcohol licensing processes and to ensure a consistent, transparent approach when considering exemptions for events.

Add new alcohol-free zones at two coastal settlements at Labour Weekend and on New Year’s Eve.

To address periodic high-risk behaviour and alcohol-related harm during peak visitor periods and support community safety and wellbeing.

The proposal would also allow for the Police, community and visitors to anticipate the controls.

Proposed Alcohol-Free Zones

Every year Council approves alcohol bans at Riversdale Beach and Castlepoint for Labour Weekend and New Year’s Eve. We're proposing to make these alcohol-free zones permanent, instead of getting Council approval every year.

The proposed alcohol-free zones would only apply on:

  • Labour Weekend: from 7pm to 7am the following day, on Friday, Saturday and Sunday each year.
  • New Year: from 6pm, 30 December to 6am, 1 January each year.

The proposed alcohol-free zone would be in place across most areas of Riversdale Beach shown in schedule 4 of the proposed bylaw.

The proposed alcohol-free zone would be in place across most areas of Castlepoint indicated in Schedule 5 of the proposed bylaw.