Hamilton is renowned for its colourful nightlife and attracts thousands to its city centre every Friday and Saturday night. ﻿

On a street-lit stretch of pavement, on Hamilton's Victoria Street, a late-night struggle erupts.

A young brunette woman, frustration writ large on her face, drops to the ground and throws her bare legs in the air.

A bemused crowd of revellers look on until one, sensing the woman's desperation, joins the fray.

CHRISTEL YARDLEY/STUFF Police officers maintain a visible presence around Hamilton's inner-city bars and pubs as party-goers amble home.

Using her teeth, the good samaritan pulls at a strap around the woman's ankle.



After countless tugs, the young woman's shoe comes loose and the pair embrace on the ground.



A group of watchful males nod in approval.

It's 3.30am on Sunday and hundreds of clubbers line the city's main street, waiting for a ride home.

It's a common sight: hordes of weary night-clubbers vying for a taxi ride out of the city after a night spent drinking and partying .

CHRISTEL YARDLEY Revellers crowd around a taxi stand on Hamilton's Victoria Street while a young woman tries to remove her shoes.

Most seem content to wait patiently for their pick-up.

A small number don't, and yell and gesticulate at passing vehicles.

It's a sight police and some city councillors are keen to see the back of.

On November 3, the council will vote on whether to trial a one-way door policy for Hamilton's pubs and clubs.

The proposal would see venues not allowed to admit patrons during the last hour before closing.

On average, 28 people are arrested every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night in Hamilton.

Much of it is booze-related.

Hamilton police Senior Sergeant Rupert Friend supports the trial.

A one-way door policy would help reduce alcohol-fuelled violence and complement existing measures such as the central city's 24-hour liquor ban, Friend says.

"We've obviously got quite a drinking culture in Hamilton's CBD on the weekend nights . . . and reducing that alcohol harm is always beneficial," he says.

"[A one-way door policy] is a tool in the arsenal. The liquor ban has been successful in reducing much of [the problems] over time but there is still too much alcohol-related harm, particularly in the very early hours of the morning."

One of the argued benefits of the one-way door policy is that those evicted from a bar after 2am will not be able to enter another premise.

Staggering the exodus of punters from the CBD will also ease the pressure on eateries and taxi services, Friend says.

"The pressure on public transport at 3am is huge. There just isn't the number of taxis for the number of people out there wanting them. You have so many people looking for taxis they get aggravated. You have taxi doors being kicked by drunk people because they wanted it."

Carl Wright has seen first-hand the damage drunk revellers can do.

As former chief executive of Hamilton Taxis, Wright spent many Mondays liaising with police about assaults on drivers and organising camera chip footage.

Easing the 3am rush will help cabbies shift large crowds quicker and reduce incidents of random assaults on drivers, he says.

"You can see the aggro build up late at night when people are kept waiting at the taxi stands - it's definitely an ongoing issue."

Hospitality bosses, however, have slammed the one-way door plan, saying the trial will be a hammer blow to the city's downtown.

John Lawrenson, chief executive of The Lawrenson Group, says there is no evidence one-way door policies have worked in other cities and could in fact stir up booze-fuelled problems in the city.

Dressed in fluoro tops, Lawrenson and his door crews stand out against a night-time backdrop of young, underdressed patrons.

The Lawrenson Group owns 15 venues in the central city.

A one-way door policy could cost the group up to $250,000 a year.

"If you look at the main source of conflict in nightclub environments it's basically people being refused entry and usually that's for reasons of intoxication," Lawrenson says.

"With a one-way door policy people will be refused entry despite the music still playing inside and people inside having a good time. You'll get arguments with door staff and it will increase the amount of conflict exponentially."

Lawrenson says the group's bigger venues, such at The Bank, Bar 101 and The Outback Inn, currently subsidises their restaurants and cocktail bars.

"Nightclubs only really trade for three hours, midnight to 3am. So potentially you're taking away 33 per cent of our key trading time. But it's been those big nightclubs which have allowed us to operate the award-winning restaurants and the smaller bars which all add to the vibrancy of the city."

Despite the brewing showdown, there is also common ground between police and bar owners.

It's just turned 1am and a hand-cuffed man, dressed in a black pullover and jeans, is put inside a police van.

He had been denied entry to The Bank and rather than move on decides to kick up a fuss.

Officers move in and defuse the situation.

Lawrenson watches the scene unfold and commends officers for their quick action.

"On a lot of things we and police are singing from the same song sheet. But my point is, is it worth introducing policies to police 99 per cent of people because of troubles caused by 1 per cent of people?"

On a night when many people have gone to bed early, in preparation for an early-morning Rugby World Cup kick-off, about 3000 people descend on Hamilton's nightclubs and pubs.

On a busy night, that number can swell to 6000.

Friends Shaolin Fergus and Morgan Leigh Griffin visit Hamilton's downtown about twice a month to kick up their heels.

At 19, the head-turning pair say they are too old for the clubs and instead seek out live music venues.

Hamilton's vibrant nightlife is something they're proud of and worry about the impact a one-way door policy will have on venues.

Safety, however, is their main concern.

"Hamilton is safe as long as you stay with your friends," Griffin said.

"I've been separated from my friends before and it's horrible, you feel so unsafe. If you get a situation where bars stop people going inside after a certain hour then you will have girls getting separated from their group."

Wandering from bar to bar seems to be something of a Hamilton tradition.

Rohan Redgrave, 19, and Alex Archibald, 20, say Hamilton's reputation for a good night has spread as far as Auckland and Wellington.

The spread out layout of Auckland's bar scene makes it difficult to visit more than a few venues without racking up a large taxi fare, Redgrave says.

"In Hamilton you can walk from bar to bar and the only taxi ride you need to fork out for is your ride home. If people start getting locked out of bars after 2am that takes away one of the big attractions of Hamilton."

As the night ticks on past 3am most punters seem happy to pull stumps and jump into a taxi home.

Trouble-makers are few on the ground and stick out amongst the good-natured crowd.

A group of young men jostle their way past a crowded taxi stand and appear to yell out to invisible friends across the street.

One pumped-up lad reveals a peculiar fascination with his own name.

"Brodie. My name's Brodie, write it down," he says over and over again.

Despite being on the wrong side of sober, Brodie and his mates haven't stepped inside a bar all night.

Fortunately for Brodie, there's no specific law against being a dickhead and soon he and his little posse fade into the night.