Some operators have closing times of up to 10.15pm, or 11pm during the Christmas period, until their licences are renewed. Photo / Natalie Slade
Some operators have closing times of up to 10.15pm, or 11pm during the Christmas period, until their licences are renewed. Photo / Natalie Slade
Rotorua Lakes Council is considering standardising off-licence closing times after a loophole in a new alcohol policy allowed some stores to trade later.
In January, the council opened consultation on a proposed amendment to its Local Alcohol Policy which required all off-licence sellers to stop selling alcohol at9pm, regardless of when their current licences expire.
The proposal follows the adoption of a new policy last June, which set standard trading hours of 9am to 9pm.
However, licences granted before the policy came into force were not captured by the change, allowing some operators to retain previous closing times of up to 10.15pm, or 11pm during the Christmas period, until their licences are renewed.
Under the proposed change, the council is asking residents whether the 9pm closing time should apply universally within three months of the policy’s adoption, or whether the existing phase-in approach through licence renewals should remain.
Public submissions closed on February 13 and a submission hearing was held at the council building on Tuesday.
Alcohol Healthwatch executive director Andrew Galloway told councillors at the hearing research consistently showed a link between longer trading hours and increased alcohol-related harm, including “assaults, unintentional harm and drink-driving”.
Alcohol Healthwatch executive director Andrew Galloway. Photo / Supplied
“The principle that less availability means less harm has been well established, worldwide and across New Zealand,” he said.
Galloway pointed to recent similar moves by Hastings and Porirua councils, which introduced 9pm closing times in September 2025 and January 2026 respectively, as a sign of how it could be successful.
Councillor Merepeka Raukawa-Tait questioned why the policy favoured 9am–9pm rather than 10am–10pm. Galloway said research showed “acute harm” increased significantly after 9pm, including street violence and domestic abuse.
Medical officer of health Dr Lynne Lane, speaking on behalf of Te Whatu Ora, said the agency’s decision to present in person reflected the strength of its support for the proposal.
She said about 80% of alcohol sold in New Zealand came from off-licence premises, and reducing trading hours would align with a growing national trend.
Alcohol consumption, she said, was a key driver of serious health conditions including foetal alcohol spectrum disorder, heart disease, cancer and mental illness.
Alcohol-related harm also placed strain on emergency departments, which she labelled an “invisible” impact, with children and older people among those most affected.
“This will shape the health and wellbeing of future generations,” Lane said.
“That’s particularly critical in an area that is experiencing higher levels of alcohol-related harm.”
She praised Rotorua Lakes Council for revisiting the policy so soon after its adoption to address the oversight.
The proposed change would also apply to alcohol sales from supermarkets.
General Distributors Limited, the subsidiary responsible for Woolworths alcohol sales in New Zealand, supported the amendment in a written submission, saying it was appropriate for maximum trading hours to be applied consistently across the district.
A final decision is expected in March.
Mathew Nash is a Local Democracy Reporting journalist based at the Rotorua Daily Post. He has previously written for SunLive, been a regular contributor to RNZ and was a football reporter in the UK for eight years.
- LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
