Latest news with #LAP
Otago Daily Times
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Otago Daily Times
Council set to put issue of glass bottles back in play
The issue of glass bottles in North Dunedin is about to become a "high-priority topic" as the council prepares to send its alcohol policy back to the drawing board. The Dunedin City Council developed a draft local alcohol policy (Lap) that was expected to come into effect earlier this year. However, at Wednesday's council meeting, hearings committee chairman Jim O'Malley said the policy had been recommended for reconsultation, expected to begin in 2026, and to include formal discussions on the sale of glass bottles around the University of Otago. At hearings in December, police called for a ban on the sale of alcohol in glass containers that had a volume 500ml or less from premises within a 1200m radius of the university, which they defined as 362 Leith St. Cr O'Malley said the "glass problem" had not been part of the consultation document but the council needed to directly consult the North Dunedin community before a decision was made. "It is clearly going to move to a high-priority topic," he said. There had not been "sufficient engagement" on the LAP with the council's partner agencies, he said. "We felt as a committee that it was better to do the process properly, because it's a six-year period, than to go forward with what we considered was a not properly consulted-on pre-consultation document." The current policy came into effect in February 2019. The council is required to review it within six years. Cr O'Malley said while the existing LAP would lapse, it "effectively" remained in place until updated. Dunedin was one of about half a dozen cities that would have lapsed alcohol policies. The draft plan contained several proposed changes, including reducing the time off-licence premises could sell alcohol by an hour, banning promotion of alcohol on the exterior of premises and a temporary freeze on new off-licence premises north of the Octagon. A council spokesman said a report on the matter would go to the council in coming months.
Scoop
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Why Gisborne Locals Are Pushing Back Against Relaxed Alcohol Rules
Two-thirds of the public who responded to a Gisborne District Council community consultation have opposed relaxing the local alcohol policy (LAP) rules in the city centre, citing the need to protect schools, marae and sensitive sites from alcohol harm. However, some businesses and individuals are backing a rule change to help revitalise the city as they fear it is becoming a 'ghost town'. Gisborne District Council consulted on excluding 'Sensitive Sites Provisions' within its central business district after adopting its current local alcohol policy in June 2024. Sensitive site rules stop new liquor licences being issued – aside from cafes, restaurants, and special licences – within 150m of sites such as marae, schools, spiritual facilities and recreational areas. Rongowhakaata Iwi Trust chair Connie Maynard said the proposal to remove the provisions within the CBD was 'disappointing' as marae were protected under the policy. Rongowhakaata had the mana whenua iwi rights over the land consulted on and opposed the amendments, she told the alcohol policy hearings on Tuesday morning. For Māori, the issues with alcohol began with the landing of Captain James Cook (his second voyage here) in 1773, Maynard said. 'For whatever reason, we latched on to alcohol and grew to have a dependency on it. It continues to disproportionately and negatively impact Māori.' The council proposed to either amend and remove the Sensitive Sites Provisions from the CBD or maintain the status quo. During the consultation, which ran for a month from February 28, the council received 207 submissions - 137 were in support of keeping the provisions, 69 wanted them removed and one submitter was unsure, according to the council hearing submissions panel report. Kura Kaupapa Māori O Hawaiki Hou moved on to a premise at the end of Gisborne's main road in 2019. In 2023, the group appealed a new liquor licence granted to Anjuna Beer Garden, a few doors down from the kura. The application was withdrawn last year. Te Amohare Hauiti-Parapara, submitting on behalf of the kura, said that opposing the application was 'emotionally taxing'. As a whānau-led kura, she said she represented the kura's whānau, who strongly supported retaining the current rules which were a positive step in the application of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. 'Particularly the principle of active protection of a taonga and our future tribal base, as defined by the Waitangi Tribunal.' Under the option to relax the rules, the District Licensing Committee (DLC) would also have the discretion to grant exemptions to the sensitive sites rule for applications outside the city. Hauiti-Parapara said the proposed change would directly impact their kura and put other kura outside the city at risk. 'Removing the existing protections risks exposing our tamariki to the promotion of alcohol in an environment that should be focused on nurturing their wellbeing,' she said. Submitter Kristen Maynard, who was in favour of keeping the restrictions, said few licence applications had been rejected under the Sensitive Sites rule. Robbie McCann, father of Ben McCann, whose licence for Anjuna Beer Garden was appealed by the Kura, also submitted. He was one of two submissions presenting at the hearing in support of removing the rule. 'Without commercial interest, you won't have a city.' McCann said there were 34 vacant buildings on the main street. 'We're very close to a ghost town ... it's a crisis situation for building owners and business owners alike' He noted that during early engagement, 82% disagreed with the provisions while 18% agreed. This engagement process received 62 submissions and 1067 votes through the council's 'Participate' platform and Facebook page. McCann said he believed the council had not targeted to get the full spread of people during this round of public consultation. 'I only found out by fluke ... that's why you've got a little bit of a difference this time.' Off-licences such as bottle stores had a greater risk of creating alcohol harm than on-licences – such as bars – because it was in a controlled environment, McCann said. During his submission, police officer Isaac Ngatai, who has been the alcohol prevention officer in the region for 14 years, disagreed with off-licences being the main issue during his submission. 'Over 70% of the incidents that we deal with are alcohol harm-related. That's not just from off-licences; that's from people returning home from on-licences,' he said. Resident John Wells presented his submission in support of removing the sensitive site rules. Wells said he had nothing against sensitive sites in the CBD, but they should operate under the same conditions and terms as any other business. 'CBD means 'central business district' ... that is where businesses are supposed to be,' he said. According to the council report, the option to keep restrictions was supported by Tri-Agencies, which encompasses NZ Police, the National Public Health Service and the Chief Licensing Inspectorate. Several local community groups, as well as Tūrehou Māori Wardens Trust, Te Aroha Kanarahi Trust, Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki Trust and individuals, also gave written submissions in favour of keeping the current provisions. Several businesses and individuals submitted in support of removing the rule. Reasons provided included revitalising the CBD, supporting businesses and providing more controlled environments for individuals, the report said. Council sustainable futures director Joanna Noble said if the hearings committee made a recommendation, the adoption of the amendments would take place at a meeting on May 8. - LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
Scoop
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Let Them Dance: Napier To Retain 3am Bar Closing Times, After Council U-Turn
Article – Linda Hall – Local Democracy Reporter Napier City Council amended its proposed Local Alcohol Policy to maintain the status quo, allowing bars, pubs, and nightclubs to open until 3am with a one-way door policy at 2am. Napier City Council has done a u-turn on its proposal to close bars an hour earlier, with one councillor saying he wasn't prepared to take the chance for young people to dance away from them. Councillor Richard McGrath said he looked around the council table when he was making up his mind. 'The likes of the three o'clock in the morning is for 18 to 25-year-olds. 'And that's not us,' McGrath said. 'There is only one place in Napier open until 3am and it offers a point of difference, – you can actually go and dance, not my thing but for plenty of people it is and perhaps if we go back far enough around the table, for some, dancing was a big thing. 'I'm not prepared to take that away from our community who are growing up and doing their thing and learning about the world. 'How are they going to learn about the world sitting at home playing on a Playstation?' The earlier closing time was a major part of the draft Local Alcohol Policy (LAP) which also included no more off-licences to be issued for bottle stores in Maraenui, Marewa and Onekawa – the Reserve, Suburban Commercial and Residential Zone. However, during the meeting, Mayor Kirsten Wise called for an amendment to the proposed LAP based on what she was hearing around the table. 'What I'm going to propose is an amendment to the officers' recommendation yet to be debated, and voted on but as our starting position, is we retain the provisions in the existing LAP regarding maximum trading hours, regarding the 3am closing for nightclubs and 7am selling at grocery stores.' In all, 44% of submitters supported the proposed changes with their reasons including helping reduce the harm caused by antisocial behaviour and alcohol, while 56% were against it with reasons including unnecessary pressure on the hospitality industry. Chris Sullivan, a publican who has been in the industry for 47 years, had earlier said the proposed changes in the closing hours were crazy. He said if bars had issues they were 'not being run right, with little or no security'. Sullivan, who owns Napier nightclub Roxof, spoke at the meeting about the importance of creating a safe environment using security and cameras. Another issue identified by officers on the proposed LAP was consistency and alignment with Hastings District Council. Hastings bars are open until 2am. However, McGrath said he kept hearing about Hastings. 'I was voted in for Napier. It's about time perhaps Hastings looked at itself and said 'hey actually Napier's going to three, if we think there's a big enough issue with the different closing times, we will match Napier'. 'It doesn't always have to be us going the other way, they can match us. We are a tourist town, perhaps they aren't so much.'
Scoop
01-05-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Let Them Dance: Napier To Retain 3am Bar Closing Times, After Council U-Turn
Napier City Council has done a u-turn on its proposal to close bars an hour earlier, with one councillor saying he wasn't prepared to take the chance for young people to dance away from them. Councillor Richard McGrath said he looked around the council table when he was making up his mind. 'The likes of the three o'clock in the morning is for 18 to 25-year-olds. 'And that's not us,' McGrath said. 'There is only one place in Napier open until 3am and it offers a point of difference, - you can actually go and dance, not my thing but for plenty of people it is and perhaps if we go back far enough around the table, for some, dancing was a big thing. 'I'm not prepared to take that away from our community who are growing up and doing their thing and learning about the world. 'How are they going to learn about the world sitting at home playing on a Playstation?' The earlier closing time was a major part of the draft Local Alcohol Policy (LAP) which also included no more off-licences to be issued for bottle stores in Maraenui, Marewa and Onekawa – the Reserve, Suburban Commercial and Residential Zone. However, during the meeting, Mayor Kirsten Wise called for an amendment to the proposed LAP based on what she was hearing around the table. 'What I'm going to propose is an amendment to the officers' recommendation yet to be debated, and voted on but as our starting position, is we retain the provisions in the existing LAP regarding maximum trading hours, regarding the 3am closing for nightclubs and 7am selling at grocery stores.' In all, 44% of submitters supported the proposed changes with their reasons including helping reduce the harm caused by antisocial behaviour and alcohol, while 56% were against it with reasons including unnecessary pressure on the hospitality industry. Chris Sullivan, a publican who has been in the industry for 47 years, had earlier said the proposed changes in the closing hours were crazy. He said if bars had issues they were 'not being run right, with little or no security'. Sullivan, who owns Napier nightclub Roxof, spoke at the meeting about the importance of creating a safe environment using security and cameras. Another issue identified by officers on the proposed LAP was consistency and alignment with Hastings District Council. Hastings bars are open until 2am. However, McGrath said he kept hearing about Hastings. 'I was voted in for Napier. It's about time perhaps Hastings looked at itself and said 'hey actually Napier's going to three, if we think there's a big enough issue with the different closing times, we will match Napier'. 'It doesn't always have to be us going the other way, they can match us. We are a tourist town, perhaps they aren't so much.' LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
NZ Herald
01-05-2025
- Business
- NZ Herald
Local Alcohol Policy: Napier to retain 3am bar closing times after council reversal
'There is only one place in Napier open until 3am and it offers a point of difference – you can actually go and dance, not my thing but for plenty of people it is and perhaps if we go back far enough around the table, for some, dancing was a big thing. 'I'm not prepared to take that away from our community who are growing up and doing their thing and learning about the world. 'How are they going to learn about the world sitting at home playing on a PlayStation?' The earlier closing time was a major part of the draft Local Alcohol Policy (LAP), which also included that no more off-licences be issued for bottle stores in Maraenui, Marewa and Onekawa – the Reserve, Suburban Commercial and Residential Zone. However, during the meeting, Mayor Kirsten Wise called for an amendment to the proposed LAP based on what she was hearing around the table. 'What I'm going to propose is an amendment to the officers' recommendation yet to be debated, and voted on but as our starting position, is we retain the provisions in the existing LAP regarding maximum trading hours, regarding the 3am closing for nightclubs and 7am selling at grocery stores.' In all, 44% of submitters supported the proposed changes, with their reasons including helping reduce the harm caused by antisocial behaviour and alcohol, while 56% were against the changes, with reasons including unnecessary pressure being placed on the hospitality industry. Chris Sullivan, a publican who has been in the industry for 47 years, had earlier said the proposed changes in the closing hours were crazy. He said if bars had issues they were 'not being run right, with little or no security'. Sullivan, who owns Napier nightclub Roxof, spoke at the meeting about the importance of creating a safe environment using security and cameras. Another issue identified by officers on the proposed LAP was consistency and alignment with Hastings District Council. Hastings bars are open until 2am. However, McGrath said he kept hearing about Hastings. 'I was voted in for Napier. It's about time perhaps Hastings looked at itself and said 'hey actually Napier's going to three, if we think there's a big enough issue with the different closing times, we will match Napier'. 'It doesn't always have to be us going the other way, they can match us. We are a tourist town, perhaps they aren't so much.'
