PM's liquor store blitz gains support

Prime Minister's call to impose stricter criteria on liquor outlets comes after the murder of Navtej Singh in Manurewa. Photo / Dean Purcell

The Prime Minister's call for tighter controls on liquor outlets is gathering support.

Helen Clark wants to crack down on the number of liquor outlets in poor areas of New Zealand in the wake of killings and robberies that have shocked the country.

She said yesterday that she wanted Parliament to revisit liquor laws to cut the number of liquor outlets.

The police had a "grave concern" about the role of alcohol consumption in violent offending in the area.

The Alcohol Advisory Council (Alac) said today communities needed to have a say in the number and location of outlets in their areas.

"This is the strong message we have been getting from communities throughout the country," said Alac chief executive Gerard Vaughan.

"The Sale of Liquor Act is now almost 20 years old. In that time the environment has changed dramatically."

Mr Vaughan said Alac wanted any legislative changes to also address factors contributing to binge drinking, such as cheap liquor and outlet opening hours.

Alcohol Healthwatch said it supported Helen Clark's call but wanted a more urgent response.

"Communities have been calling for the mandate to influence licensing decisions since they lost that right in the 1989 changes to the Sale of Liquor Act," said director Rebecca Williams.

She also said changes should cover a wider range of issues, including advertising and pricing controls.

The Drug Foundation praised Helen Clark for giving a kickstart to a stalled review process.

"There is great community concern about the social impact of alcohol but communities find themselves unable to make objections as there are limited grounds on which objections to a licence can be made," said the foundation's executive director Ross Bell.

"Improving liquor licensing laws along with addressing cheap booze and liberal marketing practices will go a long way to turning around New Zealand's poor drinking culture."

"This is a matter I am personally taking extremely seriously," Helen Clark said last night.

"It seems to me inevitable that Parliament will have to revisit some of the consequences of the 1989 liquor legislation."

There has been a 1250 per cent jump in licences across the country since the legislation came into force.