Wine aficionados will be able to sample their favourite tipples at vineyards on Easter Sunday but anyone wanting to buy liquor elsewhere is still out of luck following the passing of the Sale of Liquor Amendment Bill (No 2).
Sitting under urgency, Parliament decided that wineries should be allowed to tradeon Easter Sunday, marking an end to a ban that has been in place since 1999.
New Zealand Winegrowers chief executive Phillip Gregan described the new law as a victory for common sense.
But the Distilled Spirits Association was disappointed the bill did not go further.
"The amendments have exaggerated an already unfair trading system," chief executive Thomas Chin said. "Wineries are now permitted to trade on Easter Sunday but, ludicrously, the law still bans all of the other liquor licensees like pubs and bottle stores the right to trade on this day."
The Alcohol Advisory Council has welcomed provisions in the legislation confirming the legality of operations using underage teenagers to test liquor licensing laws.
Controlled purchase operations are carried out by police and public health officials who send underage volunteers into licensed premises in an attempt to buy alcohol.
Doubts had been raised about the legality of the operations.
