Relatively well-behaved New Year's for Hawke's Bay, despite drink-driving and beach fires
Hawke's Bay police, out in force over New Year's, have processed four people for drink driving - something they say is "really disappointing".
The drivers were found over the limit on their way back from Waimarama Beach to Hastings this morning.
Police say the message is simple: "If you’re drinking, don’t drive. It’s not worth it". "Keep safe this weekend, and for the rest of summer."
"Remember, if you’ve been drinking, a quick sleep and a coffee won’t sober you up enough to drive safely, alcohol can still be in your system hours later."
Overall emergency services were pleased with Hawke's Bay revellers as they celebrated the end of 2020 and the beginning of 2021. Bonfires and alcohol-related incidents
Napier had the fourth-highest volume of St John Ambulance call-outs in the country from 10pm New Year's Eve to 2.59am New Year's Day.
With 10 incidents, it made up 2.75 per cent of the country's total during this time.
A St John Ambulance spokeswoman said that while they attended some assaults and serious incidents nationally, the number and type of call-outs were similar to previous years.
"Overall, New Zealanders respected their freedom to celebrate together this New Year’s Eve," she said.
The area with the most call-outs was Auckland followed by Whangamata and Queenstown. A St John Ambulance spokeswoman said the main reasons for call-outs throughout New Zealand were falls, people unconscious or who had passed out, and breathing problems.
Assaults were the eighth reason for callouts this year, which was down from fifth last year.
They attended a total of 363 Emergency Ambulance Service (EAS) incidents between 10pm and 2.59am - more than double the average number EAS incidents during the same time between July and November.
Despite an increase in workload of eight per cent compared to last New Year’s Eve, it was quieter than in previous years.
A police spokeswoman said "everyone was pretty well behaved". A "couple" of people were taken into custody for alcohol-related incidents.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand Hawke's Bay Area Manager Ken Cooper said it was a "relatively quiet night" for them.
"We had a large number of bonfires on Napier's Marine Parade that kept us busy leading up to midnight and shortly afterwards as people reported the fires."
But he says there were no other safety concerns. Bonfires are not permitted on Hawke's Bay beaches. "Fire and Emergency recognises that last night especially individuals were being responsible."
He said they applied commonsense and spoke to individuals about lighting fires and asked them to ensure they were extinguished when they left.
This morning, firefighters also did a sweep of Marine Parade's foreshore to extinguish the remnants of the fires.
As the summer season continues and the weather continues to get warmer, Cooper said it is important people adhere to fire restrictions. For more information visit: https://checkitsalright.nz/
