Policy aims to reduce alcohol-related harm

Published on 23 August 2019

Glasses

Whanganui District Council’s Local Alcohol Policy comes into force on Monday, 2 September 2019 after the provisional policy was adopted by the Alcohol Regulatory and Licensing Authority on Wednesday, 3 July 2019.

The policy aims to reduce alcohol-related harm in the Whanganui District by: considering the location of licensed premises in relation to sensitive sites such as schools; limiting the number of off-licenses (excluding supermarkets and grocery stores); a one-way door restriction for on-licences where licensed hours exceed midnight; maximum trading hours for licensed premises; and, inclusion of discretionary conditions for the District Licensing Committee.

The one-way door policy and maximum trading hours for licensed premises will not come into force until Monday, 2 December 2019 – three months after notification that the Local Alcohol Policy has come into force.

Safer Whanganui spokesperson Lauren Tamehana says achieving a Local Alcohol Policy has taken a large amount of work and dedication from a number of organisations. “Safer Whanganui is concerned about the amount of alcohol-related harm in our community and we now have a locally-focused policy that will work towards minimising that harm.”

The Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012 allows councils to adopt a policy relating to the sale, supply and consumption of alcohol for their district.

The Council’s Policy and Governance Manager, Stephanie Macdonald-Rose, says, “The Local Alcohol Policy reflects the community’s commitment to putting a policy in place to help reduce alcohol-related harm.

“Developing the policy has been a collaborative effort between the Council, iwi, Whanganui District Health Board, police, and community and health groups as a substantive way to make a difference to the health of our community,” she says.

The provisions of the Local Alcohol Policy include:

  • The number of off-licences in Whanganui District be limited to 14, excluding supermarkets and grocery stores, and none within 100 metres of the legal site boundary to a sensitive site.

  • Sensitive sites now include alcohol treatment centres and children’s playgrounds as well as early childhood centres, primary and secondary schools, marae and places of worship.

  • A one-way door restriction for on-licences where licensed hours exceed midnight. This means anyone exiting an on-licence won’t be admitted or re-admitted one hour before the establishment closes.

  • Maximum hours for on-licence tavern, bar, pub or nightclubs are 8.00am to 2.00am the following day. For clubs and on-licence restaurants, the maximum hours are 8.00am to midnight.

  • Maximum licensed hours for off-licence grocery stores, supermarkets and bottle stores is 7.00am to 10.00pm. Maximum licensed hours for off-licence hotels, bars, taverns and cellar doors is 7.00am to 9.30pm.

The Local Alcohol Policy is available here(PDF, 305KB) and can be viewed at Whanganui District Council customer services, 101 Guyton Street and the Davis and Alexander libraries, Pukenamu Drive, Pukenamu Queen’s Park and Gonville Library, 44 Abbot Street, Gonville.

 

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