Excessive alcohol consumption is putting immense pressure on our hospital EDs. Video / NZ Herald / Getty
Gisborne District Council will today respond to submitters over a planned alcohol crackdown - a proposal some submitters claim has the potential to kill the city’s hospitality industry and turn the CBD into a “ghost town”.
The council has been hearing submissions on the proposed changes to its Local Alcohol Policy.
Today, a council meeting to be held at Potaka Marae on the East Coast will see council officers table a report responding to the submissions over the mooted changes.
While the council has been congratulated in some quarters for looking at initiatives to minimise alcohol harm, an overwhelming majority of submitters have hit out, claiming if introduced they could have the potential to force licensed premises out of business and kill the nightlife scene.
Liquor stores would also be banned from external advertisements.
And a range of venues would also see their opening hours cut from 2am to midnight.
Ten per cent of written public submissions back the move.
Written sentiments include that the proposals are “ridiculous”, that if they were approved those in Gisborne would be “left behind in some little hick town”, a “roadblock” to future expansion, and that an operating crackdown would “only encourage an increase in uncontrolled house parties”.
A submission from Karim Nepia on behalf of Rest Float Spa stated: “Sadly, it feels like Gisborne’s hospitality scene is on the brink of extinction.
“Over the past three years, I’ve seen numerous family-owned gems crumble. You are targeting the wrong people.”
‘Yet another nail in the coffin for Gisborne town’
Tamara Cresswell-Wells believed bringing the proposals into policy would be “calamitous” to the CBD.
“We need to be encouraging new hospitality venues within the CBD and around the wider community, most certainly not deterring them.
Some hospitality venues in Gisborne's CBD will have to change how they operate if the proposed plan is accepted. Photo / Janna Dixon
“Having arrived back in Gisborne, I have been shocked at what a ghost town it has become. I have seen a sharp decline in the vibrancy of the town in the last five years in particular and it’s extremely sad to see these kinds of proposals which are only going to worsen the situation and further hinder the recovery of our beautiful kāinga.
“It takes a great deal of time and effort and money to set up a hospitality business in a small centre such as ours, and the last thing we should be doing is making it more difficult for those brave enough to take on such endeavours.”
Andre Sutcliffe added: “We do not need additional medieval, antiquated laws that will stifle business and tourism, just another law in becoming a nanny state, and yet another nail in the coffin for Gisborne town”.
Several other written statements from submitters asked why should schools or other “sensitive sites” be allowed to operate in the heart of the CBD; with their presence questioning the future of businesses traditionally in CBD areas.
Under the proposal, a range of venues would have to shut at 12am, instead of their current licences, which allow for 2am closing times.
A “cultural throwback” or protecting from alcohol harm?
The council approved the draft local alcohol policy earlier this year and then put it out for public consultation.
Submitters who praised the council for their proposed changes included Alcohol Healthwatch; an independent national charity working to reduce alcohol-related harm and inequities.
It said it “commends” the council for the “commitment” it was showing in reviewing the district’s Local Alcohol Policy.
“We strongly believe that a LAP is a package of measures which, when used comprehensively, can significantly minimise rates of hazardous drinking and subsequent alcohol-related harm,” its statement said.
“For this reason, we recommend that LAPs are considered not just as a collection of isolated elements but as a cohesive package to reduce alcohol-related harm, insofar as can be achieved with measures related to licensing.”
Alcohol Healthwatch also called for tighter regulations than those proposed; including a “mandatory policy” that no new liquor licences could be issued in some areas and “one-way door restrictions” every night of the week district-wide.
The proposed changes to alcohol management also sparked debate within the council.
At a meeting, councillor Tony Robinson described them as “almost a cultural throwback”.
The Gisborne District Council has been warned by some submitters that proposed alcohol licensing changes could kill the hospitality industry. Photo / Alan Gibson
Fellow councillor Aubrey Ria also questioned how it would impact young adults if licensed premises had to close earlier.
“We’re taking them from a monitored and controlled area into different pockets of the community and possibly causing more work for our emergency services and police.”
In 2022, it was revealed that Tairāwhiti had the highest hazardous drinking rate in the country according to a report presented to the council.
The document showed 44.9 per cent of drinkers in Tairāwhiti were considered hazardous compared to the national average of 27.1 per cent.
Nearly 34 per cent of Tairāwhiti’s entire adult population reported hazardous drinking.
Talking to Local Democracy Reporting at the time of the report’s release, Health NZ district director Jim Green was not surprised by the findings.
“It has been shown that living in neighbourhoods of high socioeconomic deprivation is associated with a higher risk of harmful alcohol consumption.
Neil Reid is a Napier-based senior reporter who covers general news, features and sport. He joined the NZ Herald in 2014 and has 30 years of newsroom experience.
