Wanaka's New Year's Eve street party provided something to write about.

At least 30 underage drinkers spent part of New Year's Day in Wanaka writing essays for police in order to avoid $250 fines.

The teenagers, all aged between 14 and 17, were collared for breaching Wanaka's public liquor ban during the December 31 public street party.

Instead of a $250 instant fine, they wrote essays about the impact of binge drinking on the teenage brain.

Marjorie Cook Drinking reduces your "white matter'', write another youth charged with breaching Wanaka's liquor ban.

The alternative resolution process was introduced to build trust and confidence between police and teenagers, after an unpleasant 2016 year-end experience, when several hundred drunk youths congregated on Wanaka's Ardmore St for two nights in a row.

The messy nights out resulted in public complaints and accusations that some parents were illegally providing their underage children with alcohol.

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Marjorie Cook Wanaka senior constable Phil Vink reads essays by children who breached the town's public liquor bans.

Wanaka's police youth aid officer, Senior Constable Phil Vink, said all but one of the youths were from out of Wanaka.

Many got their alcohol from parents or siblings, which meant they were not solely to blame for breaching liquor bans, Vink said.

"I have just spoken to a 16-year-old who said his mum gave it to him . . . They are just sending them off into the abyss of life," he said.

Marjorie Cook Drinking can rewire the teenage brain, writes a youth keen to avoid a $250 instant fine for breaching Wanaka's liquor ban.

To avoid fines, the teens had to present themselves to the police station for an interview and were provided with reading material to help them complete their handwritten essay, which some completed at the station.

Vink noted older teenagers were catered for by controlled R18 events at hotels or at Rhythm & Alps.

"The younger ones are not being catered for so well so they are coming to our notice because they are out in the public arena. We have to ask ourselves why that is, and equally, not all of them want to be involved with adults . . . But we are concerned about any young person under the age of 18 who is drinking alcohol. We think it might be fair for a parent to supervise them," he said.

GEORGE HEARD/STUFF Controlled R18 events, such as Rhythm & Alps 2017, cater for older teens. But there is a gap for younger teens, Senior Constable Phil Vink says.

With most essay writers coming from out of town, Vink believed their parents could have considered Wanaka's public street party was a safe place and had not understood the risks their children had taken.

The essays were not fun to read, he said.

"We could ask them to wash cars or sweep streets but that's not acceptable. We are not there to humiliate or judge them. We just want them to come away from New Year having done some thinking.

"Two hundred and fifty dollars, it is a big deal [for youth], but it is a level playing field in terms of that. And hopefully, they have had some positive interaction with the police," Vink said.

Sergeant Aaron Nicholson said of the four arrests made in Wanaka on New Year's Eve, none involved under-18 youth.

The arrested people were aged between 19 and 26. Two were charged with drink-driving, from 900 cars checked.

"There were lots of little fights but relatively few arrests. And there were two drink drivers, which is two too many, but not bad, all things considered," Nicholson said.

St John spokeswoman Susan Robertson reported no major incidents from the Queenstown Lakes area, although the ambulance service was very busy and had put on extra vehicles and staff.

The crucial hours were between 10pm and 2am, when nationwide calls tripled, seeking help with unconscious, injured, and sick people.

Senior Sergeant Allan Grindell said Wanaka police were satisfied with the outcome of the celebrations.

A police spokeswoman said Queenstown police had reported a busy night but nothing significant to report, and there were no reports of incidents of note for Alexandra or Cromwell.

A car was written off in a crash on the Cardrona Valley Rd about midnight, but the driver walked away uninjured, Sergeant Aaron Nicholson said.