'High risk' liquor store in Wellington's entertainment precinct has hours slashed

Tuesday, 25 December 2018

Central city liquor outlet Capital Liquor has had its hours significantly cut back after a decision by the Alcohol Regulatory and Licensing Authority (ARLA).

A central city liquor store considered one of the most high-risk in Wellington has had its opening hours slashed by more than four hours a day.

Capital Liquor on Manners St, which has long had a closing time of 10.30pm, will now be required to shut up shop at 6pm after a failed appeal with the Alcohol Regulatory and Licensing Authority (ARLA).

Capital Liquor is one of several liquor stores operating in the central city. Palmer would like to see the number reduced.

The judgement upheld a previous decision by the Wellington City District Licensing Committee (DLC) to have the outlet's hours permanently reduced seven days a week.

'Capital Liquor is one of the most high-risk off-licenses in central Wellington, if not the highest risk,' the committee said in its decision earlier this month.

The cut to the store's hours comes just as the silly season - one of the busiest periods for retailers - gets into full swing.

Anti-social behaviour at Te Aro Park was part of the argument against Capital Liquor with police and other key liquor licensing players placing blame on the store for supplying people late into the night.

* Central Wellington liquor store cuts licence hours following High Court ruling

* Police, regional health fight to curtail closing hours for liquor stores in 'risk areas'**

Medical officer of health Dr Stephen Palmer said the news sent a strong message to other liquor retailers in the area.

'This liquor store is in an area described as 'ground zero' in terms of alcohol so they need to be operating with the highest level of expertise …These fellows were operating just this side of the law.'

Initial opposition to the store's license, made by the medical officer of health, New Zealand Police and a Wellington City Council licensing inspector, centred around the store's central city locality and its contributions to crime and disorder in and around the premises.

Alcohol harm prevention officer Sergeant Shane Benge reported that the availability of alcohol at late hours within the CBD increased alcohol-related harm 'to more than a minor extent.'

He also noted that more than a dozen thefts of alcohol from the store had been reported in the time since its last license renewal.

However, owner Qiang Liu disputed that his store contributed to the anti-social behaviour occurring nearby.

'They think we're associated with all the people drinking in the park [Te Aro Park] but we can see them so we don't serve them.'

Liu said he had volunteered to drop the businesses hours back to 9pm to fall in line with the majority of city liquor outlets but that request had been denied.

'We feel targeted. They just want to shut us down.'

Liu planned to appeal the decision, after seeking legal advice, but the earliest that could be done would be January

'This is going to be a problem for all the staff … suddenly they're going to lose their hours during this time. I don't know how they're going to cope over the holidays.

'We just don't understand why they have to do it now.'

BOOZE CRACKDOWN NOTHING NEW

Alcohol-related harm has been referred to as 'the dark side of Wellington no-one wants to talk about', with Wellington Ciy Council, police and Regional Public Health all working both individually and together to combat it.

Palmer, representing the public health side of things, saw a recent High Court decision as the catalyst to the recent wave of liquor license oppositions.

In May, Liquor King on Wellington's Kent Tce had its licence hours reduced after the court found there was 'no realistic doubt' that it contributed to some of the alcohol-related harm in the area.

The store, which is close to the city's party zone in Courtenay Place, applied in 2016 to renew its alcohol licence. The Wellington District Licensing Committee renewed the licence, but cut its closing time on Fridays and Saturdays from 11pm to 9pm.

This was done after the committee heard from Palmer, who cited evidence showing the store was in an area where there was a higher number of alcohol-related attendances at Wellington Hospital's emergency department, and where there had been 1626 calls to police over a year for alcohol-related incidents.

'One of the leading alcohol lawyers actually emailed me when he saw the decision congratulating me and said 'finally the Act may have some teeth',' Palmer said.