Greens put boot into RWC booze bill
THE Green Party has blocked a bill that would allow pubs to open for upcoming Rugby World Cup matches.
A bill, introduced to Parliament by ACT leader David Seymour yesterday, sought to allow pubs to open outside legal trading hours to show Rugby World Cup matches being played in the United Kingdom.
But the Greens objected, with co-leader James Shaw accusing Seymour of trying to boost his profile. Without the unanimous support of MPs, the bill cannot be passed in time for the tournament.
Seymour said the Greens were being spiteful. He branded them ‘‘Green Party Poopers’’.
The bill can now proceed only if it is picked up by the Government, something Prime Minister John Key has indicated is a possibility. He said a decision would be made in the next day or two.
If that was done, consideration would need to be given to whether law changes would apply to just All Blacks games, or to all games.
Key said bars could apply for permission within the existing law, but it was expensive and bureaucratic.
When told that the Green Party would block the bill, Key said, ‘‘I thought they probably would. It’s just par for the course, isn’t it.’’
The Greens were ‘‘always opposed to anything that’s sort of vaguely good fun’’.
Green Party health spokesman Kevin Hague said the bill would see ‘‘boozed-up people spilling out of bars just as parents are dropping their children at school’’.
‘‘We already have regulations in place for bars to apply for special licences for occasions such as this, and many bars have already decided to do this specifically for this year’s Rugby World Cup,’’ Hague said.
Seymour said the Greens ‘‘do themselves no favours by locking themselves in as the party opposed to fun’’.
‘‘Shutting New Zealanders at home for this event seems like a mean-spirited affront to community freedoms. An internationally televised World Cup featuring our own reigning champions should be an opportunity to bring communities together over coffee or beer and showcase our wonderful hospitality facilities.’’
Labour MPs voted not to object to the bill when its caucus met yesterday and leader Andrew Little said he supported it.
‘‘There’s hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders who enjoy a tipple, usually when watching sporting games and they do so responsibly,’’ Little said.
‘‘This is a tournament that happens once every four years and it’s totally in keeping with social intercourse that they have a drink.’’
Little said if he was in a pub at 5am and the All Blacks were winning he wouldn’t say no to a drink.
‘‘If we’re losing I’d probably have two beers at 5am.’’
UnitedFuture leader Peter Dunne said there was no argument when it came to All Blacks games. Where there might be some debate was if pubs thought it appropriate to be open during less significant games. ‘‘Take Georgia versus Namibia, for example, I’m not sure it should extend that far.’’
Seymour expected NZ First to support it given its leader, 70-yearold Winston Peters, had been given time off Parliament to travel with the parliamentary rugby team as media manager.
‘‘Not only did he campaign on common sense but he can hardly support keeping New Zealand pubs shut at the very time he will almost certainly be in British ones,’’ Seymour said.
The Rugby World Cup is in England and Wales from September 18. Some All Blacks matches will be broadcast at 9am, when bars are already allowed to be open. Other matches will be screened between 1am and 8am.
Seymour hoped the bill would pass into law before the cup started.
‘‘Our hospitality industry does a great job of feeding us, watering us and entertaining us and gives us safe environments for having fun,’’ he said. ‘‘Let’s make it possible for these facilities to be used by those that want to use them.’’