MPs support bowls liquor licence battle

Politicians from both sides of the aisle are going into bat for Wellington’s bowling clubs in their quest to keep their liquor licences.

Police have opposed the renewal of about a dozen licenses across the region, based on the hours sought in their applications, leaving many within the bowls club community scratching their heads.

Hutt South MP Chris Bishop fielded emails and social media messages over the weekend from those concerned about the future of the clubs and the police’s seemingly ‘‘heavy-handed’’ approach.

‘‘It sounds like an overzealous interpretation of the [Sale and Supply of Alcohol] Act to me ... they [police] are really reading the act in quite a technical way rather than using common sense,’’ he said.

There was no evidence to suggest bowls clubs were ‘‘dens of iniquity’’, so the police’s approach appeared unnecessary, he said.

Bishop had not ruled out drafting a members bill to address the situation and said he would attend the Bowls Wellington AGM on July 30 where police planned to brief the region’s clubs all at once.

‘‘I’m really keen to work on a solution – whether or not that’s legislative – alongside Greg [O’Connor] and other Wellington MPs.’’

O’Connor, a former police officer and current MP for Oha¯ ¯ riu, said he had spoken with the Wellington Police district commander on behalf of the bowling clubs after being made aware of the situation on Friday night.

‘‘To be fair to him, I think I brought some things to his attention that he wasn’t aware of,’’ O’Connor said.

‘‘I’m always aware there are two sides to every story but I think the police side needs to reflect some reality ... if there are clubs that are abusing their privileges, deal with them individually.’’

Senior Sergeant Scott Dunn, of the Wellington Police District Alcohol Licensing Unit, said they were not seeking to ‘‘crack down’’ on drinking at bowling clubs, with their opposition mainly rooted in the clubs’ long hours of operation.

‘‘In these current cases, the applicants are seeking the ability to serve alcohol from 8am through to 1am the following day, 7 days a week ... [we] are seeking some explanation or reasoning from the clubs around the hours,’’ he said.

But Bowls Wellington chairman Mark O’Connor said the Whitby Bowling Club in Porirua, where he serves as president, had not applied for an 8am start, instead opting for an 11am licence start time.

‘‘If they have a problem with a specific club then they should talk to them directly ... this blanket ban is rubbish, we’re just applying for exactly what we had last year.’’

The licence, if renewed, would allow the club to sell alcohol for 78 hours during the week, but O’Connor said the bar was rarely open for more than a few hours a day. ‘‘We need that flexibility.’’

In a statement, Dunn said police were ‘‘not opposed to a licence per se’’ and stressed they were only one of three regulatory agencies who assess alcohol licence and managerial certifications for the district.

‘‘Police support the safe, responsible and lawful sale and supply of alcohol and by no means are we seeking ‘dry’ clubs.’’

‘‘It sounds like an overzealous interpretation of the [Sale and Supply of Alcohol] Act to me ...’’

Hutt South MP Chris Bishop