TVNZ Breakfast’s host Jack Tame has been recently stopped from buying alcohol at an Auckland supermarket because his partner didn’t have identification and looked under 25 years of age. Viewers shared their frustration on TVNZ Breakfast's Facebook page, telling their stories. Some of them saw it as an over-zealous application of sale-of-liquor rules, saying they witnessed mothers being refused to buy wine and cigarettes because their teenage sons were with them. Several Kiwis, however, said supermarkets are not to blame, as the financial penalties are huge, including loss of liquor licence.
On their part, chains have made clear their policy is to ask anyone for identification if they believe that the customer looks under 25, to make sure alcohol isn’t purchased for minors. Countdown even trains its team to ask for ID from anyone looking younger than 30.
