Survey on alcohol sale and supply opens
Published on 27 September 2024
Whanganui District Council’s survey on alcohol sale and supply is open now and closes on Wednesday, 27 November.
The council’s policy manager, Elise Broadbent, says the council is required to review its local alcohol policy every six years. To support the review, the council is running a survey to understand what people would like to see around the sale of alcohol in Whanganui.
“The anonymous survey takes five to ten minutes to fill in and asks about purchasing and consuming alcohol, numbers of establishments around the district, and their trading hours,” Elise Broadbent says.
“It also gives you the opportunity to tell us about your experience of public alcohol consumption and to give us your thoughts on managing alcohol-related harm.
The purpose of the Local Alcohol Policy is to reduce alcohol-related harm.
“Many people enjoy alcohol in moderation, but we know that alcohol is a complex issue and it can have negative effects with serious consequences like long-term health issues, foetal alcohol syndrome, family violence, crime and road accidents,” Elise Broadbent says.
The District Licensing Committee, which is independent from the council, refers to the Local Alcohol Policy as they make their decisions on issuing alcohol licences.
The policy covers the number of businesses selling alcohol – both on-licenses where people drink onsite (like bars and restaurants), off-licences where people purchase alcohol to drink offsite (like bottle stores, supermarkets and breweries), and club licences (like sports clubs or members’ clubs). It looks at where businesses can be located, taking into account proximity to places like schools and churches, and sets out trading hours.
Elise Broadbent says part of the Local Alcohol Policy sets rules which must be followed, such as maximum trading hours.
“At the same time, part of the policy is used as a guide for the District Licencing Committee as they make their decisions on issuing alcohol licences.
Elise Broadbent says because each council is responsible for developing its own local alcohol policy in consultation with the community, different areas of New Zealand can have different rules.
“This means we, as a community, can set the policy to suit Whanganui so we’re keen to have your input.”
To take the Local Alcohol Policy survey, go to the Have Your Say section of the Whanganui District Council website: www.whanganui.govt.nz/Local-Alcohol-Policy-survey