New Zealand’s biggest supermarket chains are now joining forces to fight Dunedin’s provisional alcohol policy. Signed off by councillors last year, the new rules require supermarkets and other off-licence retailers to cut their alcohol hours from 7am-11pm to 9am-9pm. The policy also includes reduced hours for residential pubs.
Eight parties have appealed, such as Progressive Enterprises, Foodstuffs, Independent Liquor, Dunedin Hospitality Ltd and the New Zealand Police, just to mention a few.
The council is defending its decision ‘in full’, despite claiming that the appeals will cost in ‘time and effort’. On its part, Foodstuffs emphasised that the new policy was based on a complete lack of evidence of alcohol-related harm.
The new rules are now sitting in limbo, pending a decision by the Alcohol Regulatory and Licensing Authority.
