Alcohol policy disappoints
The founder of a charity that has spent more than two decades scooping up young people who have drunk too much is dismayed Palmerston North’s draft local alcohol policy is so unambitious.
Street Van founder Lew Findlay said the plan was the biggest disappointment of his 18 years as a city councillor.
The draft policy the council has approved to go out for public consultation proposes locking in 2am closing for bars, and moving closing time for off-licences back from 11pm to 10pm.
‘‘I have waited for this for quite some years, but after seeing it and reading it, I am dismayed,’’ Findlay said.
The closing time was already the voluntary practice of most city bars, including those licensed to stay open until 3am.
The policy does not propose a cap on the number of liquor licences that can be granted. Neither does it propose one-way door restrictions approaching closing time at bars.
Policy analyst Peter Ridge said proposals for restrictions were legally required to be backed up by evidence that they were needed to reduce the harm caused by too much alcohol.
The best information the council had for justifying a clampdown came from the police and focused on pre-loading – the pattern of drinking at people’s houses through the evening before heading in to town.
He said police data showed assaults in public places were decreasing, while assaults in homes were increasing.
That provided grounds to try to reduce the amount of unsupervised drinking happening before people came to town to licensed premises.
‘‘If we reduce the time people are able to buy alcohol, it closes the window for drinking at home.’’
Cr Lorna Johnson described the policy as ‘‘relatively innocuous’’, and predicted it would provoke a lot of submissions calling for tighter restrictions.
She said if the council was genuine about attempting to reduce alcohol harm, the policy needed to be beefed up.
Mayor Grant Smith said the policy was ‘‘a start’’, and he was long, successful campaign, and was looking forward to the future with Team New Zealand. All his family and friends were bursting with pride.
‘‘It’s been a fantastic day. Who would’ve thought a boy from the Manawatu would be in the America’s Cup, and not only that, but winning it as well?’’
Four years after falling agonisingly short against Oracle Team USA, Team New Zealand buried the ghosts of San Francisco as they beat the Americans by 55 seconds in race nine to record an emphatic 7-1 series victory.
Simon van Velthooven, known for his explosive speed in track cycling, won a bronze medal in the keirin at the 2012 London Olympics before he was hired by Team New Zealand.
People gathered at the van pleased Palmerston North had learnt from other councils that had tried more ambitious plans, and had incurred significant costs trying unsuccessfully to defend them.
‘‘We have to start somewhere, and this can be reviewed in two years.’’
Hospitality New Zealand regional manager Chris Hince said it was interesting the council was looking to lock in 2am closing so soon.
He said the jury was still out on whether the change would prompt any improvement in behaviour.
The council was wise to be cautious after witnessing how other Velthooven family home in Palmerston North to watch him help power the catamaran to victory.
‘‘We were elated. We’ve had quite a big morning with people around and a champagne breakfast to celebrate,’’ his father said.
Simon van Velthooven’s former school, Palmerston North Boys’ High, was also abuzz.
School rector David Bovey said many of the staff and pupils had got up early to watch New Zealand take the cup back, and everybody was talking about how one of their own had been part of that.
‘‘It’s just incredible where his career has taken him.’’
His grandfather Wim van Velthooven, of Blenheim, said it was exciting to watch the former cyclist take part in the winning race. councils had been forced to backpedal on more restrictive proposals, he said.
‘‘The problem is a belief that a local alcohol policy can solve everyone’s problems. It’s an expectation out of whack with reality.’’
Alcohol Action spokesman Doug Sellman said the group did not comment specifically on local alcohol policies, but said the Government’s failure to restrict hours for the sale of alcohol was an abrogation of its responsibilities.
As a result, councils and communities were wasting time and energy resisting ‘‘the might of the alcohol industry’’.
‘‘It’s just amazing for the family. We arrived in 1952 [from the Netherlands] when people couldn’t even spell the name,’’ he said.
‘‘Look at us now 65 years later. Everyone in New Zealand knows the name.’’
Massey University professor of exercise physiology Steve Stannard said it wasn’t surprising Team New Zealand’s decision to bring in a top cyclist and switch to leg power had paid off. The big surprise was that it had taken so long for someone to come up with the idea and make it work. ‘‘They can’t use motors, so what they’re looking for is human power, and you can get at least twice the power using your legs.
‘‘And [Simon’s] a big unit... [so] it was a master stroke, whoever decided to get him on board.’’