Wairarapa booze curfew looms

WATCH OUT: The cut-off time to buy alcohol from a supermarket or liquor store may be 9pm.

9pm cut-off proposed by councils

The Wairarapa councils have unveiled their draft Local Alcohol Policy, proposing a 9pm cut-off on alcohol sales for supermarkets and liquor stores.

This would potentially affect businesses such as Bottle-O, Liquor King, Liquorland, Pak'nSave Masterton and Supervalue Featherston, who stay open to 10pm.

Countdown Masterton, New World Carterton and Masterton, Fresh Choice Greytown and Pain and Kershaw 4-Square in Martinborough all shut at 9pm or before.

The draft policy, if approved by all three Wairarapa councils, will be released for public consultation next month.

The conditions would be enforced under the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012.

Trust House chief executive Allan Pollard yesterday said it was the first he had heard about the idea of a 9pm cut-off for off-licences.

It would affect the Trust's two Bottle-O stores in Masterton and Featherston, which open to 10pm for part of the week, and Supervalue Featherston, which opens to 10pm seven days a week.

Mr Pollard's view was that as long as it was a "level-playing field", they did not have an issue. "Trust House perceives the need for a local alcohol policy," said Mr Pollard.

"One hour - it's not going to affect us too much. It will be a fair level-playing field for all."

He said they would be very interested to see the submissions put in.

Liquor King's Masterton bottle store opens to 10pm from Thursday to Saturday.

Liz Read, external relations director for Liquor King, said they would likely make a submission to council.

She said the 9pm proposal was "not unusual" in her experience of LAPs, but they would oppose it.

"In our experience, people buying alcohol between 9 and 10pm are perfectly legitimate and reasonable in their intentions."

She said a danger lies with different councils proposing different rules, encouraging people to get into cars and travel to later-opening stores.

She said ultimately the misuse of alcohol has nothing to do with where it's purchased. "It's about how they are drinking."

She said some of their outlets were licensed to 11pm, but chose to shut early.

"We don't keep the doors open to pay for electricity."

Foodstuffs, who operate Pak'nSave, issued a statement saying they would "consider the draft LAP and we will respond to council as appropriate".

The Wairarapa Alcohol Working Group, who compiled the LAP, considered differentiating between supermarkets and bottle stores, but decided this would cause confusion and have no effect, with people simply going to the later-opening outlet. In proposal documentation, the group says "research indicates reducing trading hours is a key way of reducing ... alcohol harm".