Police vs promoters: Inside a growing summer festival 'crisis'

By Chris Schulz*

NZ police blame alcohol abuse and violence on a widespread crackdown on outdoor events. But promoters call that "misinformation" and say unfair opposition puts their events at risk.

Alex Turnbull has hosted a huge outdoor party nestled into the Cardrona Valley's lush foothills as each New Year arrives, for the past 15 years.

"We know what we're doing," says the founder of Rhythm & Alps, the three-day festival that has had a largely unblemished run. Each event attracts 10,000 people, and he can only remember six or seven arrests ever being made - about one every two years.

"It's a really well-contained, safe festival site," he says.

But, at the end of 2023, Turnbull found himself at a District Licensing Committee hearing where police and health authorities were doing something unusual - fighting his request to sell punters four alcoholic drinks at a time.

"They instantly opposed it," says Turnbull.

He calls this a "massive challenge", because without alcohol sales, Rhythm & Alps and many other festivals may not be profitable.

"There's no way we could run it. Absolutely no way."

His licence was approved, but police later appealed the decision, citing what they called an unreported "underbelly" of bad behaviour at his event. They lost their appeal over lack of evidence, but Turnbull still doesn't understand why police targeted Rhythm & Alps when it has such a strong track record.

"We've got a very good, experienced team who know how to handle large crowd numbers and intoxication levels," he says.

"We are not trying to make a messy party ... why would we want to do that?"

Turnbull promotes major shows around the country and claims it's just one example of many which shows police are cracking down on outdoor events, either opposing festival liquor licences or restricting their ability to sell alcohol, then arriving at events in large numbers to enforce those rules. Interviews with multiple promoters backed his view, with many saying they were facing opposition for everything from dub and reggae shows to multi-stage music festivals to dance and hip-hop parties headlined by international artists.

In a statement, police denied trying to shut down everyone's summer fun. Instead, they say they are targeting outdoor festivals to "mitigate the risks of alcohol-related harm".

"Large scale events such as concerts and multi-day events are high-risk events," a spokesperson says.

"When police oppose an event, they are not saying the event can't take place, but are looking to the District Licensing Committees to impose appropriate conditions that mitigates the risk at that particular event."

Nine shows have been affected by police licensing opposition this summer, with four outdoor festivals cancelled, another four postponed, and one forced to return tickets when NZ Police opposed their application and their licensing rules changed. Promoters already struggling with hefty cost increases and sluggish ticket sales say increasing police opposition could make their events untenable.

Promoter blames a 'targeted campaign'

Just before Christmas, one of our biggest summer festivals called it all off. Juicy Fest, a nostalgic hip-hop festival running since 2023, told ticket-holders they could no longer bring Ludacris, Akon and a dozen other acts here for four shows. The reason? Police had opposed their liquor licence in Auckland, blaming "excessive consumption of alcohol," a "significant number of gang members from different gangs," and "disorder and fighting" that blighted Juicy Fest's 2023 and 2024 events.

Timeless Group promoter Glenn Meikle alleged "targeted efforts" were to blame. Because of Juicy Fest's cancellation, he says he was forced to postpone another four festival shows for his Timeless Summer Tour because those events were being held in the same venues, and police opposition affected those liquor licences too.

(Meikle didn't respond to a request for comment, but multiple news stories covered ongoing issues at Juicy Fest 2024, including 12 arrests being made at the Auckland leg, and six in Wellington, where a police officer was hit in the head with a bottle.)

On the same day that Juicy Fest's cancellation was announced, the long-running Western Springs event Laneway was forced to recall up to 2000 tickets it had already sold to 16- to 18-year-olds. Eleven people were treated for intoxication in 2024 across all ages, and no arrests were made, but police opposed the festival's liquor licence allowing underage music fans onto the site, saying they suspected "there were many more intoxicated people in the crowd" than the reported numbers.

Clearly, some festivals have more issues than others. But promoters say police are taking a heavy-handed approach at many events and requesting drink restrictions, hampering how profitable a festival can be.

"For most people doing an outdoor event these days, your profit is in your bar sales," says David Benge, the managing director for events company TEG Live.

"If the police are coming in heavy-handed and not allowing that ... it kills your profit margins."

Benge should know - he had his own run-in with police just a few weeks ago.

Why did 18 cops show up to Summer Haze?

At Summer Haze, a Tauranga festival headlined by The Roots and held on 30 December, at least 18 uniformed police officers showed up and stood in a line across Wharepai Domain for the entire evening.

In a statement, police say this was a "preventative approach" to anticipated disorder.

Just a few thousand punters were there on a very mellow night and they were just as perplexed by the large police presence as the show's promoter was. Benge had met with police before the event and says he expected a few of them to show up - but not in those kinds of numbers. He'd already hired his own team of security who hadn't reported any problems.

"We'd had zero issues," he says.

So, when 18 officers arrived on site, Benge approached them and asked, "Is it necessary to have this many police here?" Benge claims police told him they were staying put, and refused to negotiate. The spot they were all standing in was clearly visible from the stage, and right by the festival's front gate. "Anyone coming in would see 18 police officers with their arms folded," he says.

In a statement, police say they supplied "sufficient staff to rotate through hydration and meal breaks". They say the presence of staff in hi-vis vests has "a calming effect" on crowds. They say they kept a close eye on the venue's single bar.

"We were also there to monitor that the conditions of the event's alcohol licence were being complied with," a spokesperson says.

Several weeks after his event, Benge remains in disbelief. He, and others, refute claims that a large police presence calms crowds. "It's a chicken and egg thing," Benge says. "[Police] are creating a scene where this feels intimidating."

He says their presence impacted his performers too.

"When my bands are on stage, they're seeing a sea of people having a good time - and a wall of police behind them. They're like, 'What's going down?' That has them second-guessing whether we're running safe events."

Police say there were "fortunately no significant issues" and "no arrests of note". Benge says one arrest was made that night - for an out-of-date medical marijuana prescription.

The problem - and a potential solution

"Licensing's the number one issue we've been dealing with in recent times," says Elaine Linnell, general manager of the Events Association, an industry body representing the majority of the country's events and promoters. She agrees that battles against police and health authorities over alcohol licensing issues has become a major headache for many promoters.

She believes outdoor events are an "easy target" for police.

"There's no rhyme or reason to it," she says. "Police are being harder on us."

Linnell says there have been "inconsistent" interpretations of licensing rules around the country, depending on how authorities read the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012.

In an attempt to solve the issue, they have proposed a solution, an assessment tool that would allow promoters to self-regulate and mitigate any risk at the events they're trying to put on. It's been submitted to ministers, but Linnell says she's yet to hear anything back. And so, promoters are stuck in limbo, battling police over licenses for every single outdoor show they're trying to put on.

"They're really frustrated," she says.

"If you look at this overseas you're just not seeing this at all. Here, it doesn't feel like you're trusted to be an adult."

Stuart Clumpus, a veteran promoter with 40 years of experience, agrees. He believes the strict conditions being enforced by police are creating unnecessary problems at outdoor events.

"Queues are the thing that pisses everybody off at a gig," he says.

Yet, police will often dictate drink limits on punters, allowing them to buy two, or only one, drink at a time. Rather than decreasing intoxication, Clumpus believes it encourages it.

"If there's a big queue, everybody goes, 'I'd better buy as many as I can."

Clumpus struggles to understand what police are trying to achieve. In a 2024 report, Manatū Hauora (The Ministry of Health) estimated the harm caused by alcohol abuse at $9.1 billion annually, but said the majority of that came from low to moderate consumption.

If police are trying to address alcohol abuse, Clumpus believes a summer festival isn't the place to do it. He points to the price of a drink at a festival - often $12 or $13 each - as prohibitive to excessive drinking.

"I genuinely don't believe giving people a hard time at a one-off show makes any kind of dent to it," he says.  

Turnbull, from Rhythm & Alps, says he already employs up to 90 security staff at his festival. With his track record, he thinks police should trust him to run his events in a safe and efficient manner.

"We want to treat ticket-holders like adults," he says. "Our customers are having a good time. They don't want to be queued up. If you treat people badly, they're going to behave [badly]. The police need to work with us on this. They do not have the experience to manage large crowds. They do not have experience in doing these events ... they're barking up the wrong tree."

Why NZ police are doing this

RNZ used the Official Information Act to request access to all NZ police communications regarding their presence at Summer Haze and other summer events. Police turned it down, saying the request was too broad and would take too much time to process

Instead, the police media team agreed to provide "general comments" about police attitudes towards summer music events where alcohol was being served. That statement gives some indication of why increasing numbers of police are attending outdoor festivals and opposing liquor licences.

"Police attend most, if not all, of these events and unfortunately over recent years have observed high levels of intoxication, physical assaults and disorder," a spokesperson says.

The spokesperson also claims there were incidents only police knew about.

"We have investigated sexual assaults and know that high numbers of sexual assaults occur but are not reported," they say. "These are typically all related to alcohol consumption. We have been working collectively around the motu in a consistent manner to reduce these risks and facilitate safe events for everyone that attends."

RNZ requested statistics to back up police claims of "high levels" of intoxication, disorder and sexual assaults but was told they weren't available.

"It's anecdotal info from individuals who speak of inappropriate behaviour but do not wish to make a report," a spokesperson says.

They say that statement also related to incidents that happen in "bars and clubs on busy nights". (RNZ found a single allegation of a sexual assault this summer, at Raglan festival Soundsplash two weeks ago; also, after Kiwiburn festival earlier this week, organisers asked festival-goers to come forward with names of those who engaged in "non-consensual bum-slapping, trespassing, uncool language, theft, sex acts or open masturbation".)

When asked for statistics on how many sexual assaults were reported at outdoor music events so far this summer, police didn't have that data at hand. "It's something we may be able to process under the Official Information Act," a spokesperson responded.

Promoters hit back: 'That's misinformation'

Every promoter spoken to by RNZ disputed those police statements. Turnbull, from Rhythm & Alps, says it's an example of the "misinformation" he's heard from police during his liquor licence hearings.

"They don't have any evidence," he says.

Linnell, from the Events Association, says she's seen statistics showing alcohol-related incidents are going down, not up.

"We have data from venues and St John which allude to the opposite, and that intox rates are trending downwards," she says.

Clumpus went one further, accusing police of hiding behind their media team. He says promoters want someone senior to address their concerns and work with them.

Benge agrees, saying there's no one he knows of at NZ police that he can get a straight answer from.

"The buck doesn't stop at a national level with one individual," he says. "There isn't someone who you can go to and say, 'How can we stop this problem?'"

District Licensing Committees are administered by local councils. When approached for comment, the Queenstown Lakes District Council says it supports a variety of events in its region, but it isn't appropriate to comment on individual events like Rhythm & Alps; Tauranga District Council didn't respond to a request for comment by deadline.

All promoters want to hold safe, reliable events, says Clumpus, who points towards sports fixtures like All Blacks or Black Caps games that can go ahead without the kinds of opposition and restrictions placed on outdoor festivals.

"We need to rely on the police force to deal with a very small minority of clowns so the rest of us can have a good time," he says.

"Someone having four wines at a Coldplay show isn't the problem."  

Turnbull wonders why so many police resources are being used on music festivals. "Police are under a lot of pressure, but they're going about it in completely the wrong way," he says.

If this keeps going, he predicts there'll be far fewer events being held next summer, and that could mean bigger problems for police.

"If these New Year's festivals don't go ahead, they're going to have a lot of kids in the streets, around the lake fronts and in these hot spots causing shit ... If you've got 10,000 people in town, you've got a problem."

* Chris Schulz is a freelance entertainment journalist and the editor of the industry newsletter Boiler Room.

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