The Alcohol Regulatory and Licensing Authority (ARLA) has backed a decision by the Queenstown Lakes District Licensing Committee (DLC) to issue a special licence for the Rhythm & Alps music festival last summer.

NZ Police and the Southern District Medical Officer of Health had appealed the licence (which included a four-drink-per-transaction limit) arguing the festival organisers hadn’t done enough to reduce alcohol-related harm, and said a two-drink limit should apply. 

In its decision released on Friday, ARLA said there was no evidence that the crowd were a menace due to intoxication and no crime statistics related to alcohol-related harm at the event.

“The evidence of harm related to four drinks per transaction is very thin in this case,” ARLA said.

“The authority is not prepared to work on presumptions or conjecture…it would prefer not to rely on speculation and does not expect the DLC to either.”

ARLA said the licensee had a “sound track record of hosting this festival spanning 13 years with no breaches of the Act against it”.

It recommended removing a condition requiring the event’s duty manager, police and the licensing inspector to meet hourly and instead have them do so only when requested.

DLC chair Lyal Cocks told the Wānaka App it was “reassuring” to have the DLC’s decision confirmed by the national alcohol regulation body.

While the appeal related to last year’s Rhythm & Alps festival, it “provides helpful case law for assessment of and decisions on applications like this in the future”.

Rhythm & Alps must apply for a special licence for each event, he said, and it is expected to make an application for this year’s event soon.

The ARLA decision “will be relevant in the assessment of that application,” Lyal said.

PHOTO: Supplied