Wairarapa MP backs pub plan for Cup

Wairarapa MP Alastair Scott said in Parliament that he was pleased to be supporting the bill. FILE PHOTO

Bars and clubs around the country will now have more freedom to open for Rugby World Cup Games after a bill was passed in Parliament on Thursday.

Before the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Amendment Bill, was passed, individual venues would have had to request a special licence at least 20 working days before each World Cup game to stay open for matches.

Now venues only need to give one week's written notice to police and the district licensing committee if they are planning to open their doors for, one, a few, or all of the World Cup games.

Wairarapa MP Alastair Scott said in Parliament that he was pleased to be supporting the bill.

"It gives the whole country an opportunity to celebrate our national game together," he said. "Too much talk has been about the alcohol anger and anti-alcohol speak, but it is not about the alcohol, it is about getting together - getting together to celebrate, giving people the opportunity to gather in communities with their whanau, with their families, with their kids, and enjoying the camaraderie and the celebration of the sport."

"It was a little while ago," he said. "But I do remember getting woken up by my father to watch the game - in black and white, I must have been about 6 or 7 years old.

"Now, in this World Cup festival, we can get up and go down to the pub.

"Why should we not be able to go down to the pub and meet and commune with our relatives and people in our communities?

"It is not about the alcohol. There is no obligation to drink.

"There is no compulsion to drink. There is lemonade. There is orange juice. There is even water.

"The other point it that not all bars will be open for all games, clearly not, and that is the great thing. This legislation gives the operator, the licensee, the option, a choice to make, and it will be commercial decision making on how many dollars will come in the door because of the event.

"That is the way it should be."

Mr Scott noted that the best thing about the passing of the bill was that venues would be able to choose for themselves whether they opened or not without going through a lengthy licensing process.

He said he expects that in Masterton most pubs will open for All Blacks games but for games such as Namibia versus Georgia, bars may choose to not open. MPs voted 99 to 21 to pass the legislation.