Vehement opposition heard to planned bottle store in village

Plans for a Super Liquor store near a school have come under fire from locals and health representatives, who said it threatened the safety of the community, normalised alcohol for children and was likely to increase alcohol-related harm.

At a licence application hearing for the store in Māpua, the region’s medical officer of health, Dr Andrew Lindsay said granting the licence would be contrary to the object of The Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012 – to minimise the harm caused by the excessive or inappropriate consumption of alcohol.

Any increase in the availability of alcohol in the village, particularly of RTDs (ready to drink beverages) and spirits, was “more likely than not” to increase the harm, directly or indirectly from alcohol, he said.

Lindsay was among over 30 people giving evidence opposing the store at a four-day hearing of the application by Nelson Holdings Limited (NHL) for the off-licence at the entrance to Māpua – which has four off-licensed premises including a Four Square, but no bottle store.

He presented information showing steady growth in presentations at emergency departments (ED) in Nelson and Marlborough where alcohol was a factor, and said there was a “general consensus” that density of alcohol outlets was a predictor of harm.

Substantive research suggested adolescents were particularly vulnerable to the effects of alcohol consumption, being at risk of physical, sexual and emotional harm that may have long-lasting effects into adulthood, Lindsay said.

He highlighted a survey of secondary school students in 2012, showing one in 13 New Zealand adolescent drinkers under the legal purchase age reported being able to buy alcohol themselves.

Under cross-examination by NHL’s lawyer, John Young, Lindsay confirmed the ED presentations could include incidents where someone had not consumed alcohol excessively.

Young asked Lindsay how a licencing committee could ever grant a liquor licence based on a proposition that any licence would increase harm.

“It may be that we’re moving in that direction” Lindsay said.

“Given the increasing knowledge around the harm, particularly among young people … around brain development, learning and so on, is that a risk that the committee or others wish to take?”

Asked by Young if he thought The Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012 should be reformed, Lindsay said he did.

Local GP Andre Bonny said he would be glad if no applications for liquor stores were granted.

Some of the around 50 patients at Māpua’s GP service who had had serious problems with alcohol, had expressed concerns about having access to strong alcohol in the community.

“If they [authorities] told me tomorrow that in New Zealand they were talking about zero alcohol, like they are about zero cigarettes, that would be a medical benefit for New Zealand.”

Representatives of Māpua School and parents said having a bottle store less than 100 metres away from the school would normalise alcohol for children, and risked increasing anti-social behaviour near and on the school grounds.

Changes including painting the store grey, having no advertising outside, and not being open when children went to school did not remove the risk, many residents said.

Others said the location of the store would increase the risk of ram raids and could make it unsafe to walk in the area at night.

NHL operations director David Hall earlier said while NHL thought that some people might be concerned about the location near to the school, given that a tavern had previously operated on the site they considered it “may not be a significant issue” for locals.

Resident Lyndle Lister contested that.

“Do we say there was a dangerous chemical factory at the wharf many years ago … does that mean we can now open another chemical company.

“No Mr Hall, we don’t want or need your liquor store.”