Community and Council at one on alcohol regulation changes

New times for when alcohol can be sold and a ban on public alcohol consumption in urban Te Puke – are among changes to alcohol rules and regulations for the Western Bay.

Western Bay of Plenty District Council’s newly updated Alcohol Control Bylaw, will go hand in hand with the recently adopted Local Alcohol Policy. Both the bylaw and policy are aimed at reducing alcohol related harm in the community.

Western Bay Mayor Garry Webber says the new changes were largely supported by a mix of individuals, businesses, Police and health agencies who shared their concerns and recommendations with Council through the process. Submitters also suggested several changes allowing Council to consider a wide range of options and viewpoints when making the changes.

“The general community response was very supportive of the changes, acknowledging how they could help reduce harm where it’s needed.

“Our biggest priority is our communities’ wellbeing, and we’re confident these changes will help,” says Mayor Garry.

The biggest changes will affect Te Puke township and the wider Te Puke-Maketu Ward, including:

• No new licences will be issued for bottle stores across the Te Puke-Maketu ward (except where an existing store changes hands or moves to a new premises close by).
• Extension of the alcohol ban zone (Alcohol Control Area) to all public places in the Te Puke urban area, not just the town centre.

These changes arose in response to evidence and data collected, and feedback from stakeholders, including New Zealand Police and Public Health Officials, who shared concerns about the number of bottle stores in the Te Puke-Maketu Ward. The information collated also suggested Council can help to reduce alcohol related harm in Te Puke by extending the ban on alcohol consumption to all public areas in urban Te Puke, making it consistent with other towns in the District.

The other key change is proposed to apply across the District.

• Alcohol stores (off-licences - this includes bottle stores, grocery stores and supermarkets) will not be able to sell alcohol past 9pm (rather than 10pm).

“These might seem like small changes, but supporting the community to address alcohol related harm is key to making a difference to community safety and improving wellbeing,” says Mayor Garry.

Council has also committed to a number of other actions to help address alcohol related harm in our communities. These include:

• Raising awareness of new alcohol licence applications and renewal applications for on-licences, off-licences and club licences.
• Seeking a wide diversity of candidates for the District Licencing Committee and the appointment panel.
• Greater Police-Council collaboration, with Council to share feedback and concerns raised by submitters in the alcohol review process.
• Responding to future Central Government-led work on Alcohol reform.
• Considering alcohol harm as part of the upcoming Community Safety Policy Review.

The reduced off licence hours, and capped number of alcohol store licences are made under the Local Alcohol Policy. These changes have been ‘provisional’ and open to appeal by anyone that had submitted on the draft policy until 17 April. No appeals were received and the Local Alcohol Policy will now undergo a formal notification process, prior to these changes coming into force, giving businesses time to prepare before changes come into effect later in 2022.

The Bylaw change, which limits the public consumption of alcohol in Te Puke, will become operational on 6 May 2022. The bylaw is enforced by the Police, and enables the issuing of infringements and confiscation of alcohol where there are breaches of the bylaw within the alcohol ban areas.

The policy and bylaw were adopted in 2015 and 2016 respectively and were required for review under the legislation. Council consulted on the draft Policy and draft Bylaw between 5 November and 6 December 2021. 135 people, businesses and organisations submitted online, by email and through hardcopy responses.

To read the changes in full, see the Local Alcohol Policy, Alcohol Control Bylaw and decision document.