Editorial: Liquor laws review timely

Whanau support service director Tommy Kapai Wilson wonders why Tauranga needs even more liquor outlets. Photo / John Borren

I sympathise with Bethlehem and Mount residents who have come out in force to oppose new liquor licence applications in their respective areas.

In Bethlehem, the 570 people opposing a bottle store, which would be the fifth in the area, were the most objectors to a liquor licence application that Western Bay's licensing co-ordinator Sergeant Nigel McGlone had seen in eight years on the job.

Objector Julian Webb summed up the mood of the opponents: "Bethlehem needs another liquor outlet like it needs a hole in the head."

Over in the Mount there was strong community opposition to a proposed new bottle store in the Mount Shopping Centre, which already has three bottle stores.

With schools and families in these areas, I understand their fears about the negative impact of more stores in their communities.

The applicants could argue that alcohol is a legal substance to trade, and as long as they get the appropriate liquor licensing approval and follow the law and not sell to minors, they are just trying to make a living.

But while the representative for the Bethlehem applicant rejected claims that another liquor store would put more cheap alcohol on to the street, the fact remains that a high density of liquor outlets is more likely to lead to an increase in alcohol-related harm. This was the evidence given by police in the Bethlehem hearing, and they should know as they clean up the mess.

The number of liquor stores we already have is excessive. As Mount Mainstreet representative Peter Melgren says, it is not like people are dying of alcohol deprivation.

The problem is that communities are fighting a losing battle at local level. Last week, we reported that Tauranga City and Western Bay District councils, after pressure from supermarket operators and bottle store chains, agreed to lift a proposed cap on the number of new off-licences. The cap would have restricted Tauranga to 74 outlets and 35 in the rest of the Western Bay.

The cap was removed despite 500 submitters wanting it.

The community doesn't want more bottle stores. With a new government, another review of the country's liquor laws is timely.