Surge in booze-shop bids as tough law looms

Photo / Janna Dixon

Would-be liquor merchants are flooding the country with applications for new bottle shops before an expected law tightening, a national liquor chain says.

The Mill, which runs 42 outlets, says a controversial liquor store that opened last week in Clendon, Manukau City, is just one of dozens of applications ahead of a new Sale of Liquor Act due in Parliament this year in the wake of a recent Law Commission report.

"We're seeing an application every day for an off-licence," said Stephen Fromont, general manager of the New Plymouth-based firm.

"The run at liquor licences between now and when the act comes in is just huge, particularly in South Auckland. It's the [area] most highly densely populated with liquor stores in the country."

The Law Commission wants legislation to close all bottle shops by 10pm and bars by 4am, and to require licensing agencies to have regard to the views of local residents and to the "social impact" of a licence.

Mr Fromont said the expected crackdown meant "if you can get a liquor licence now, it's going to be more valuable in the future".

However, liquor licensing consultants, and statistics, cast doubt on his comments.

Georgie Robertson of Hospitality Licensing believed the "slight increase" in new applications was not due to the impending law change but to "people trying to buy themselves employment".

Jacqui Dahlin of Liquor Concepts said there was a rush for licences late last year when there were only rumours of what the Law Commission was likely to recommend, but applications had slowed recently.

Liquor Licensing Authority spokesman Bruce Holmes said 62 off-licences were issued nationally from January 1 until last Friday, including 22 bottle stores - down from 72 off-licences, also including 22 bottle stores, in the same period last year.

The other off-licences were for mail-order businesses, winemakers, grocery stores and caterers.

The total number has grown in the past two years, from 4181 to 4421 but is still below a 2004 peak of 4568. The rules have been tightened since then on liquor sales in superettes and dairies.

Manukau licensing inspector Paul Radich said police and licensing agencies were already applying an informal 10pm closing time on new off-licences in Auckland City and Manukau.

Sergeant Bryce Law of the Auckland police liquor licensing unit said police and licensing inspectors met on Thursday to confirm the 10pm policy.

Police national alcohol manager Inspector Tracy Patterson said 10pm closing was not a national policy but local districts were free to develop local policies to suit their conditions.

She said the Licensing Authority was likely to uphold local policies where they had been adopted by councils with full public consultation. Mr Radich said five Greater Auckland councils had adopted such policies, but Auckland City and Papakura had not.

Justice Minister Simon Power said he would be concerned if there was any surge in liquor licences in advance of the new liquor law, which would not take effect until after the Rugby World Cup in October next year.

Meanwhile, Clendon residents met on Saturday to plan a march next weekend against the new bottle shop in Finlayson Ave.

Shop owner Tara Singh has complained to the police after local leader Waina Emery tore his licence off his door last Tuesday.

Mrs Emery said she took it "because I wanted to see exactly what it said", and would return it.