At a council meeting this week, city councillor Kelly Barber said he the council to implement a city-wide alcohol ban. He said allowing people to drink unsupervised in public was a bad look for the city.

Cr Aaron Keown supported Barber’s call for a city-wide ban, saying it was something the council should be exploring.

The comments were made during a discussion about a temporary alcohol ban around Woolston village, put in place in December 2022 after residents raised concerns about drinking and antisocial behaviour in the village. The council voted on Wednesday to extend the existing temporary ban until a permanent ban could be put in place.

Waitai Coastal-Burwood-Linwood Community Board Paul McMahon​ said a city-wide ban would be harder to argue for than a specific one like Woolston's because the problem has to be proportional to the action taken.

What do you think? Should public drinking be banned across Christchurch? Vote in our poll and share your thoughts in the comments below.

You can also read reporter Tina Law's full story on the Woolston alcohol ban on The Press' masthead site here (subscription required).