Source: Radio New Zealand
Lisa Riley and her son on the site of the proposed Super Liquor store. Supplied/Lisa Riley
Plans for Lake Hāwea’s first standalone liquor store have been approved despite record community opposition.
Queenstown Lakes District Licensing Committee has approved a liquor licence for a Super Liquor franchise in the Longview subdivision, where more than [www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/573991/record-number-of-objections-to-liquor-licence-in-lake-hawea 500 submissions] argued it should not be allowed to operate.
A three-day hearing took place November where the applicant, Keyrouz Holdings Ltd, set out its case.
In a decision published on Tuesday, the committee said the applicant – which operates several Super Liquor franchises around the south – had “considerable experience” and could supply liquor responsibly.
The committee noted the company had sold alcohol safely in its other stores and had the resources to do the same in Lake Hāwea.
Earlier, residents voiced concerns that the store would be too close to children, too far from healthcare, and sent the wrong signal about the town’s priorities.
Some argued there were already enough liquor outlets in the town – with four existing off-licences – while others argued the company should not have applied for a licence before building the store.
The committee rejected claims that Lake Hāwea faced unique risks due to demographics or limited healthcare, adding that those factors did not disqualify a recent grocery store licence application in the area.
Lake Hāwea was not uniquely vulnerable, it said.
The site of the proposed liquor store on Longview Drive. Supplied/Lisa Riley
The committee decided it was impractical to require a completed building before granting a licence – instead issuing a legal waiver requiring Queenstown Lakes District Council to provide a Certificate of Public Use or Building Code Compliance Certification before the licence could take effect.
The Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act did not limit the number of licensed premises in a community, the committee noted.
The Super Liquor will be able to sell alcohol from 9am – 9pm, Monday to Sunday.
The committee imposed a ban on single-unit sales of mainstream beer and RTDs, a requirement for frosted glass on the exterior, and a total prohibition on external product or price advertising.
Community vows to keep fighting
Community group Voices Against Hāwea announced on Tuesday afternoon that it would appeal the decision.
Resident Lisa Riley called the committee’s decision deeply disappointing but not unexpected.
She said during the hearing: “It was clear that the threshold being applied was so high that community and public health concerns were never realistically going to succeed.”
“There was a strong sense that unless harm could be proven with near certainty before the store even exists, the decision had effectively already been made.”
The appeal will argue that the decision gave too little weight to widespread and consistent community opposition, set an unrealistically high bar for public health evidence, and overlooked long-term risks in a rapidly growing residential area, Riley said.
The appeal will also contend that approving a liquor licence before the business is built could lock in its use before the community has fully formed, she said.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
