Alcohol: Te Teko Residents Association celebrate after liquor store application withdrawn

Te Teko Residents Association is celebrating after an application to open a new liquor store in its main block of shops was withdrawn.

Last year, Te Teko businessman Prem Gill applied to the Whakatāne District Licensing Committee for an off-licence that would enable him to sell spirits from a liquor store between his superette, lunch bar and vape stores, located opposite the police station.

It would place the store a six-minute walk from local school Te Kura o Te Teko.

Gill told the Whakatāne Beacon at the time that he intended to surrender his current licence to sell beer, wine and cider from Te Teko Suppa Market, located near the eastern entrance to the town, if his new application was approved.

He chose not to share why he had withdrawn his application when he was contacted this week.

The application, filed under company name Tom and Jerry Wholesale, received 333 objections by the community, people across the country and in Australia, according to the Te Teko Residents Association.

Association secretary Yvonne Pryor said a hearing was scheduled to take place this month with 32 people wishing to speak to their objection.

Accommodations were made to allow submitters to speak in te reo Māori.

“We were incredibly relieved to receive the email from Whakatāne District Council that Tom and Jerry Wholesale had withdrawn their application for the proposed Te Teko Liquor store,” she said.

“This means no more liquor store, no more hearing, and our community will be that much safer from all those harms and social challenges that come with waipiro (liquor).”

Locals held a community meeting last year to discuss the application and raised fears about children being exposed to risks associated with alcohol misuse.

“When we met to organise against this application, it was clear that many of us, our tūpuna, and our mokopuna had experienced serious harms from waipiro,” Pryor said.

“From road deaths due to drink driving, punch ups at parties, family violence, neglect and abuse of our beautiful children, and all the health consequences, waipiro has damaged us.

“With all this history of harm, we know we don’t want a liquor store in Te Teko.”

Police supported the community in opposing the application, citing concerns about the proposed store’s potential 10pm closing time attracting out-of-towners looking for their last bottle of the night.

Liquor stores in Kawerau, Edgecumbe and Whakatāne close their doors by 9pm.

A separate application by Edgecumbe Enterprises Limited to open a store under the name Edgecumbe Liquor was also withdrawn recently.

-Whakatane Beacon