Make or break for liquor store

A Wellington liquor store owner caught up in a two-year battle with liquor licensing authorities has vowed to fight to the bitter end with the future of his business on the line.

Capital Liquor, considered by police and public health officials to be one of the most high-risk in Wellington, had its opening hours slashed at the end of last year after a failed appeal with the Alcohol Regulatory and Licensing Authority (ARLA).

The judgment upheld a previous decision by the Wellington City District Licensing Committee to have the Manners St outlet’s closing time permanently reduced from 10.30pm to 6pm, seven days a week.

As a result, owner Qiang Liu said he had been forced to cut staff hours and he feared the store would have to close, potentially within months. He had already spent more than $130,000 on the case with his next step – appealing to the High Court – set to see that number skyrocket further

‘‘We are looking for justice and fair treatment for the business and staff . . . [We] don’t want the people drinking there [in Te Aro Park] to be the winners.’’

The long-running licensing saga took its most dramatic turn on Christmas Eve when Liu was advised that the store would be forced to close at 6pm, falling in line with initial licence opposition made by the medical officer of health, police and a council licensing inspector. Their concerns had centred around the store’s central city locality and its contributions to crime in and around the premises.

‘‘Capital Liquor is one of the most high-risk off-licences in central Wellington, if not the highest risk,’’ the committee said late last year.

Medical officer of health Dr Stephen Palmer, upon the ARLA decision being released, heralded the news as a major win in the fight against alcohol-related E-scooter use in a month has outstripped three months of bike rides in the Wellington region’s burgeoning personal rideshare market.

Punters have made more than 75,000 trips on 400 Lime e-scooters since they launched in the Hutt Valley on December 14. Wellington’s 200 Onzo bikes have been used about 50,000 times since being launched in October.

Both companies are pleased with the uptake of ridesharing in the region.

Lime Wellington operations manager Sam Seiniger said people were starting to view the scooters as a legitimate means of transportation. The service had diverted a lot of people from making trips in cars and, in doing so, reduced pollution and congestion on the roads.

More than 25,000 registered users had downloaded the Lime app since the Hutt Valley launch harm. ‘‘This liquor store is in an area described as ‘ground zero’ in terms of alcohol so they need to be operating with the highest level of expertise . . . These fellows were operating just this side of the law,’’ he said at the time.

Palmer, when approached for comment on the possibility of a High Court appeal, said he would reserve his opinion until he had seen the notice of appeal and the grounds for it.

During a visit to Te Aro Park yesterday afternoon, Stuff saw a large group of people openly drinking RTDs bought from a different Wellington liquor store. During a 30-minute period, two police cars drove past but did not and while intended for use in the Hutt, more than a few e-scooters had already been ridden to Wellington city.

Seiniger had been tickled by a report of one customer who rode from Upper Hutt to central Wellington, having used four e-scooters along the way. The customer swapped scooters as each vehicle’s battery went flat.

Onzo spokesman Harry Yang said the bikeshare company was nearing 25,000 users having deposited its first 200 bikes on the capital’s streets in October.

‘‘We’re extremely happy with how the city has taken and adapted to this new platform and hope to continue providing this healthy alternative.’’

Seiniger said Lime was planning an expansion into Wellington city but was unable to say when.

Wellington City Council spokesman Richard MacLean said the council was in discussions with Lime and other potential e-scooter providers. stop to intervene. Two officers eventually arrived about 3pm, prompting the group to scatter.

Liu said while similar instances were a common occurrence in the park, he and his staff knew all of the regular drinkers and always turned them away or, in extreme cases, had them trespassed.

He believed the decision to reduce his store’s hours would set a concerning precedent for the city’s other liquor stores if his appeal proved unsuccessful. ‘‘The DLC are trying to make their own six o’clock shutdown policy, starting with me . . . This is a power grab by officials who hate the fact that the council did not rubber-stamp their views.’’