Sale and Supply of Alcohol (Community Participation) Amendment Bill

Kia ora, Mr Speaker. It’s my pleasure to take a call on the Sale and Supply of Alcohol (Community Participation) Amendment Bill. As the last speaker, I think it’s important to finish the second reading by saying that this bill responds to persistent issues with alcohol licensing processes in the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012. When the Act was introduced over a decade ago, it was meant to give communities a say in the way that alcohol licensing decisions were made in their areas. However, communities themselves have told us that the Act is not working in the way that was intended.

This bill responds to those concerns by making changes to the licensing processes. I particularly like the changes relating to local alcohol policies (LAPs), as it will be easier for councils to adopt an LAP, if they wish, and ensures that they are more effective once they are in place. For too long territorial authorities have worked with their communities to develop policies only to be held up in the appeals process. This has cost ratepayers millions of dollars while delaying and sometimes preventing councils from adopting LAPs at all. LAPs have a role in reducing harm and they are an important way for communities to influence the alcohol licensing decisions in their area. This bill will remove the costs and delays associated with appeals and will ensure that community voices are carried through to licensing decisions.

The Justice Committee agreed by majority with the change allowing anyone to object to an application for an alcohol licence, with a discreet exemption for trade competitors. The recommendation to apply this change regardless of the type of licensing application, be it for a new licence, renewal, special licence, or an application to vary a licence—those conditions come in good time. So it’s for that reason that I commend the bill to the House.

The question is, That the amendments recommended by the Justice Committee by majority be agreed to.

I declare the House in committee for consideration of the bill.

In Committee

Parts 1 and 2, the Schedule, and clauses 1 to 3