Hamilton City Council has voted to support an MP's private member's bill to limit the sale and supply of alcohol in the community.
Hamilton City Council has endorsed MP Chlöe Swarbrick's amendment of the Sale and Supply of Alcohol (Harm Minimisation) Amendment Bill Photo: Health Central NZ
The endorsement of MP Chlöe Swarbrick's amendment of the Sale and Supply of Alcohol (Harm Minimisation) Amendment Bill, was voted on Thursday, at a full Hamilton City Council meeting.
The endorsement by council makes it the fourth city or regional council in New Zealand to support the bill, joining Auckland Council, Christchurch City Council and Whanganui District Council.
The endorsement was applauded by Alcohol Healthwatch's executive director Dr Nicki Jackson.
"We are thrilled to see the continued calls for alcohol law change," she said.
"We urge other Councils to follow suit, and to also support Minister Faafoi in his impending review of our liquor laws this parliamentary term.
"Stronger, best-practice regulations are the clearest path to thriving, healthy communities with less alcohol harm."
Swarbrick also welcomed the decision.
"Hamilton is among Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch in still not having a Local Alcohol Policy, ten years on from the passage of the supposedly enabling Act, because of how fraught, litigious and expensive the process becomes.
"My Bill would remove that anomaly of a special appeals process, which exists in no other comparable legislation governing harmful substances, nor gambling, that currently allows commercial interests to delay and mow over the rights of communities."
The Council's endorsement comes as the Hamilton region sees immense alcohol related harm in its Pasifika and Māori communities.
It was heard during the meeting that almost a third (32%) of Māori women drinkers, and one in four (24%) of Pasifika women drinkers are hazardous drinkers in the Waikato District Health Board region, compared to only 16 percent of European women.
Hamilton City Council's endorsement of the bill review makes it the fourth Council in New Zealand to show its support Photo: Hamilton City Council
During the meeting, Jackson provided devastating data about alcohol harm.
"It's really clear that you have high levels of hazardous drinking in your region. You have significant inequities that are experienced in particular by Māori and Pasifika male drinkers and wahine Māori drinkers… You have high levels of alcohol harm turning up to your EDs, seen in family violence, and road crashes," she added.
The amendment bill would prevent groups from appealing against the local alcohol policies of councils and give communities a greater say over liquor sales in their areas.
It would also reduce exposing young people to alcohol advertising, as well as the practice of alcohol companies sponsoring sports teams and venues.
"Only 35 percent of New Zealand is covered by a local alcohol policy and here we are 8 years later and many of us still aren't covered.
"This appeal process is unique to Council local alcohol policies, you don't find it in other policies. Removing this appeals provision still allows a judicial review but it gets rid of this industry use of litigation to try to try and delay policies," Jackson said.
Local Democracy Reporting is Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air