Alcohol overhaul plan
Bottle-shop opening hours, alcohol advertising and the number of bars operating in Wellington will come under scrutiny as the city council begins a crackdown on booze to combat alcohol-related harm.
Councillor Fleur Fitzsimons, who leads the city’s safety portfolio, has initiated a review of Wellington City Council’s
2013 alcohol management strategy.
She hopes the outcome of the review, due in early 2019, will act as evidence to support development of a local alcohol policy (LAP) if one is needed.
The council’s previous attempt at putting an LAP in place was rejected by the Alcohol Regulatory and Licensing Authority in 2015.
That plan would have given the capital the most liberal drinking hours in the country, with selected bars allowed to trade until 5am, rather than 4am, but it attracted stern opposition from police and health authorities.
Opening hours look likely to come under the microscope again but this time with a view to how they can be altered to curb alcohol-related harm. This is defined as any crime, damage, disease, death, disorderly behaviour, illness or injury caused directly or indirectly by excessive or inappropriate consumption of alcohol.
‘‘Alcohol-related harm is the dark side of Wellington no-one wants to talk about,’’ said Fitzsimons.
A range of options for the review included: the number of establishments and their opening hours, training for bar staff and limiting advertising that promoted alcohol.
It could also look at reducing off-licensed operating hours and latenight transport options.
‘‘A lot of events glamourise the benefits of alcohol and the harm. The time is right for us to be honest about the impact of harm in Wellington.’’
She wanted harm to be a major factor in all decisions around support for alcoholrelated events in the city.
This included Beervana, Beers At The Basin, polo and Homegrown, which all had ‘‘explicit’’ alcohol sponsorship.
‘‘Evidence shows alcohol
sponsorship leads to alcoholrelated harm, so we have to be proactive.’’
The council had not complied with its current strategy, which had suggested initiatives to limit pre-loading, side-loading, alcohol advertising and looking at opening hours, she said.
A recent High Court decision, in relation to Liquor King on Kent Terrace, found alcoholrelated harm and the existence of it was enough – you don’t need to show a cause or link between the premises, she said.
The District Licensing Committee was going to use this case law in future decisions.
Medical officer of health for Regional Public Health, Dr Stephen Palmer, supported the council’s ‘‘wise’’ review, particularly around advertisements and sponsorship.
The review would also look at the night-time economy and its reliance on alcohol and how that could be shifted, which sounded good, he said.
Hospitality New Zealand Wellington branch president Matt McLaughlin said the industry also strived for safer bars and a safer city and did a good job, he said.
‘‘We are on the same page [as the council] to a certain extent.’’
Police told him bars were not the issue when it came to harm.
He believed an LAP would be a good idea because bars would be inserted in adding rules and had some good ideas.
The New Zealand Alcohol Beverages Council executive director Nick Leggett said it was open to hearing the evidence but there was a risk wowsers would take over the debate and control the discussions.
‘‘Then we will get prohibition by stealth.’’
He suggested targeting harm reduction through education, police and social agencies.