By Deanna Harris
Nightclubs that operate past dawn will be severely affected by the Government’s new liquor law plans.
One of the planned changes is to stop bars and clubs from serving alcohol between 4am and 8am.
What are the changes?
General manager of three central Auckland 24-hour clubs Temi Uhi says the planned law changes will be very damaging.
The bars he manages, 24/7, 420 and Rising Sun's peak hours are after 4am.
“We make most of our money from 4am to 7am,” says Mr Uhi.
“I think this will be the nail in the coffin.”
But he says there is no point worrying about it.
“We are not too worried. Whatever is going to happen is going to happen.”
The Supper Club's peak hours are also after 4am, but owner Edward Avetino says it is not law yet and can be changed.
“The key thing to keep in mind is it is a plan, and they have been doing this for years and years. The last time was Auckland City Council tried to do this and we beat them back.
“We are the premier after hours bar - these are our peak hours between 4am and 8am.”
Mr Avetino says if this change is made then it will force people to drink in unsafe environments and encourage house parties.
“The city is safest when people are in pubs and bars.”
He admits there are going to be changes.
“I think a law change is coming and there will be compromises.”
Mr Avetino says there are good aspects of the plan which will combat underage drinking.
These changes include a “split-age” law, where the age limit for bars is 18 but for supermarkets and off-licences is 20, and supermarkets and off-licences will not be able to sell alcohol between 11pm and 7am.
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Limiting young people’s access to alcohol is Minister of Justice Simon Power’s prime motivator.
“Our alcohol package zeroes in on where harm is occurring – particularly around young people,” he says.
The Law Commission said that young people suffer a high and disproportionate level of alcohol-related harm, with police statistics showing the highest proportion of offenders affected by alcohol being between the ages of 17 and 20.
These measures, called "Tools for Parents", are part of the Government's response to the Law Commission's recommendations on alcohol.
Mr Power says the reforms were necessary to decrease the harm caused by alcohol.
“The statistics on harm caused by alcohol speak for themselves,” he says. “It’s estimated that upwards of 1000 people a year die from alcohol attributable causes.”
Mr Power had some statistics for the gathered journalists.
- Alcohol was involved in 30 percent of all recorded offences and half of all homicides between 1999 and 2008
- Since 1990, the number of licenced premises have more than doubled from 6,295 to 14,424
- On licences have increased from 2,423 to 7,656
- Off licences have increased from 1,675 to 4,347
- Weekend ER admittances are up to 70 percent alcohol-related.
"It's clear from these figures that the pendulum has swung too far towards the relaxation of alcohol laws," says Mr Power. "That's what we've been hearing from the public - they want the Government to address the imbalance that has crept in and they want more say about the role alcohol plays in their community."
Rugby fans will be unaffected by the laws as the Government saw they will come into place after the Rugby World Cup. This is due to the time it takes for the legislative process to complete.
The reforms came about following a report by the Law Commission – the Government has adopted 126 of the 153 Law Commission Recommendations.
However, the Government stopped short of taking on the Law Commission's recommendations regarding alcohol advertising and sponsorship of events.
This means that advertisements like the Tui billboards or adverts that link drinking with sexual or financial success will still be allowed unless they are deemed to target under-18s by the Advertising Standards Authority.
The reforms will be introduced into Parliament in October, and the Government plans to pass the law before the next election.
3 News