Hospitality New Zealand (Hospitality NZ) is disappointed by measures implemented by Hastings District Council (HDC) through its recently adopted Local Alcohol Policy (LAP).
HDC’s updated LAP, which came into force yesterday (30 September), includes new measures such as reducing on-licence trading hours to a 2am closing time (from 3am previously), and a mandatory one-way door policy from 1am.
Hospitality NZ submitted strongly against the changes, noting that policies must balance harm reduction with economic and social outcomes.
Nick Keene, Interim Hospitality NZ Chief Executive, says the changes won’t reduce alcohol-related harm, and will push people into unsupervised environments, “which is more dangerous.”
Hospitality NZ believes that closing safe and well-managed venues earlier could lead to more drinking in uncontrolled places, which may actually increase alcohol-related harm instead of reducing it.
“We urged Council to reconsider this approach and work with industry to find smarter, more effective solutions, so it’s disappointing to see implementation of the LAP come into effect.”
Hospitality NZ is also disappointed that HDC had previously committed to aligning with Napier, which did not reduce operating hours. “Operators were told there would be regional consistency. This decision creates the very issues, like patrons travelling between districts where bars are still open, that everyone wanted to avoid,” Keene says.
Hospitality NZ also questions the wide use of discretionary conditions in the LAP, which may be applied to alcohol licences by the District Licensing Committee based on their discretion.
“These restrictions can already be applied on a case-by-case basis,” says Keene. “Embedding them in the LAP adds the potential for unnecessary pressure on responsible operators.”
Hospitality NZ will be watching closely to see how these decisions play out and what consequences they have.