Christchurch pushes for tough liquor rules

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Strong alcohol controls, including a minimum drinking age, health warnings and restrictions on supermarket sales should be imposed, says the Christchurch City Council.

The proposals – to tackle what Mayor Bob Parker says is the country's dangerous binge-drinking culture – are in a council submission to the Law Commission's liquor review.

The council has called for:

A minimum age of 16 years for drinking, 18 for buying alcohol in licensed premises and 20 for off-licence purchasing.

A national closing time for bars of 2am that local councils can extend or reduce.

Health-warning labels on alcohol products.

Powers to force bars to offer standard measures of wine, beer and spirits.

Higher tax on alcohol.

Stopping below-cost alcohol sales in supermarkets, and restricting discounts.

Controls on liquor advertising.

A blood-alcohol limit of zero for drivers under the age of 20.

Parker said the national binge-drinking culture was abhorrent and had to be tackled.

"It is dangerous for the people partaking in it, dangerous for the people around them and dangerous for the wellbeing of the community," he said.

"Alcohol is a drug. It is a powerful drug and as a nation we made a huge mistake by turning it into just another commodity like soap powder.

"The consequences are so huge and expensive and damaging to the very fabric of all the things we hold dear. Once we get the legislation in place we can make a difference to our society."

Regulatory and planning committee chairwoman Cr Sue Wells referred to the photograph of a Christchurch drinker on the cover of the Law Commission's report, Alcohol in Our Lives.

She said it was a concern that Christchurch had become "the poster child for problem drinking".

The sale of alcohol in supermarkets should be more tightly regulated, she said.

Cr Bob Shearing said the drinking culture needed to be changed. "We will have a lot of kickback from the bar owners, but we should say they have had their chance to be host and carry out their responsibility," he said.

National Association of Retail Grocers executive director Trina Snow said strict controls on discounting and segregating alcohol from other products would not achieve anything.

"What do they think that will achieve? Will it solve any problems?" she asked.

She said the Alcohol Advisory Council already controlled irresponsible discounting, and the local council control over liquor laws would make it difficult for national chains to operate.

Christchurch bar owner Clive Weston said the 2am national closing time would unfairly target bars.

"Shutting us down early is shutting down only 30 per cent of alcohol distribution. Off-licences sell 70 per cent of alcohol," he said.

"We are an obvious and easy target, but we are trying to do our best. It would not address the issue of people buying cheap alcohol and getting tanked up before they come into town."

Weston said a higher tax on alcohol would make the problem of people drinking before going into town worse as supermarkets could still sell below-cost liquor, but bars would have to raise prices.

- © Fairfax NZ News