Hospitality NZ has announced its disappointment to see the Sale and Supply of Alcohol (Community Participation) Amendment Bill passed through parliament, which largely ignored feedback from hospitality owners throughout the bill’s progress and without proper consideration of the consequences for license holders.
Chief Executive, Steve Armitage, said the bill will cause unintended consequences for licence holders.
“The Bill will not measurably influence alcohol harm minimisation, despite the amendments it is making to the Act. It will, however, create immense uncertainty for license holders and undermine otherwise successful and responsible businesses. Hospitality NZ supports the harm minimisation aims of the bill, but we don’t believe it will work as intended,” said Armitage.
“While there are a number of issues we see with the bill, our primary frustration relates to allowing District Licensing Committees to take new Local Alcohol Policies into account when considering renewals, including the ability to decline license renewals if they are viewed as inconsistent with any new LAP.”
Under this clause, if a new LAP imposed licence density restrictions or buffer zones, then these could be grounds for declining renewals without consideration of the standing of the existing licensed premise.
Hospitality NZ said that reducing access to alcohol does not automatically mean you reduce harm, as the numbers clearly show. Before the implementation of the Sale of Liquor Act in 1989, there were about 3,000 licenses across New Zealand. There are now 11,000, but since 1986, alcohol consumption has decreased, and is now down 25 per cent.
“More licensed premises and more places to purchase alcohol has not translated into higher consumption, as this bill assumes. Hospitality venues recognise the harm alcohol can do when not enjoyed responsibly, which is why we support moves around harm minimisation.”
Armitage said that this bill simply does not meaningfully influence harm minimisation and instead undermines the industry and the role venues play in communities across New Zealand.
“Venues run by responsible hosts remain the safest place for people to be social and safely and responsibly enjoy alcohol.”
