Do we really want to copy that example? And it wasn’t even in a bar.

Did the Wanaka kids who stole the Jagermeister not have school courses in safe alcohol consumption? After all, it’s the drug of choice nowadays – they get drug education and sex education. And why didn’t kids that age have parents in attendance?

Other societies handle alcohol rather better than Kiwis, Aussies, Poms and Americans. Check the number of European cities from which British soccer fans are banned and note the various revelations of misbehavour recently by sports stars from both sides of the Tasman.

As Mike Burgess says, bars at times attract unwelcome behaviour – but would that progress to the sort of behaviour senior-sergeant John Fookes and his police team have to deal with if host responsibility was operating?
I’d be wary about entering any bar requiring a bouncer – that’s indicative of the type of patrons one might meet.

I suspect New Zealand still hasn’t got over the six o’clock swill, irrespective of how long ago that was. Most readers may have no idea what I mean but in the days of six o’clock closing, drinking speeded up as closing approached – bars then spilled well-oiled patrons on to the streets.

At least then, the cleanup could be done in daylight and not at night.

I’ve driven a fair few patrons home from former pubs like Eichardt’s, The Mountaineer and the White Star. As the ad says: “It’s not our drinking – it’s how we’re drinking.”

I’ve also just finished a historical book on the first 384 coroner inquests in Auckland. Most noticeable was the proportion of deaths attributed to excess drinking – actual causes may have been assault, drowning, traffic accident, suicide, child abuse or simply health but the rider often added that the deaths wouldn’t have occurred had they not been drinking excessively.

As the French say, the more things change the more they stay the same.

I consider the hype in recent years of Queenstown being a “party town” – and just as much Adventure Capital of the South Pacific – has a lot to do with the unrestrained behaviour we now see on our streets.

Young people thinking they’re bullet-proof are tempted or pressured to go way beyond their comfort zone in many ways – including drinking. Push your boundaries, for sure, but temper it with common sense.

Civilised societies exist due to the existence of certain social inhibitions. As John Fookes says: “Often a lot of these [crimes] wouldn’t have been committed by people if they didn’t feel uninhibited and unrestrained by drinking to excess.”

Some visitors behave outrageously solely because they’re away from the normal inhibitions of their home environment, where family and colleagues would see their behaviour. Some locals also behave this way.

Rubbish collector Ron Drake says: “This place needs to decide if it’s a party town or a tourist town.”

I expect Queenstown Lakes District Council to make the right decision on this. They’ve made a good start by reducing bar hours and in setting alcohol-free zones at times like New Year and Winter Festival.

Those new in town or just passing through could have no idea how bad the cleanup used to be after some New Years. And look at the lengths Christchurch has had to go to make Cathedral Square a place where people want to go again.

For those who don’t know me, I’ve lived here most of my 72 years and have held manager’s licences, taxi and bus licences, and have also worked as a bar manager in the United States.