July 11, 2019
Councils consider ban on new bottle shops
Hastings and Napier district councils are considering a local alcohol policy that would ban new off-licence bottle stores in Flaxmere, Camberley and Maraenui.
Flaxmere ward councillor Henare O'Keefe says the move is not before time.
There are already three liquor outlets in Flaxmere, but no cafe or restaurant.
He says it's a curse on the community.
"You could go down to any A&E, I'll go down there on Saturday night and see the devasation, what the doctors and nurses have to deal with because of alcohol. Go into any district court around the country and it will be chocker. 83 percent of those offences are either drug or alcohol related so this country needs to wake up and take a good hard look at themselves," Mr O'Keefe says.
Blocking new outlets is easier to do than challenging renewals, which could expose the council to legal challenges.
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