The Mayor and Councillors have approved the Local Alcohol Policy (LAP), which will take effect in Christchurch and Banks Peninsula. It includes three main rules designed to address alcohol-related harm:
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All off-licence retailers must stop selling alcohol at 9pm daily, effective from October. This includes bottle stores and supermarkets.
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A freeze on new off-licences in high-deprivation communities, effective from August.
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Restricting new bottle stores from setting up near addiction treatment/rehabilitation centres, secondary schools and primary schools, the University of Canterbury and the Christchurch Bus Interchange effective from August.
Mayor Phil Mauger says the LAP is the result of months of research and consultation with the community, health professionals, retailers and hospitality, and strikes a balance between their interests.
“All through this process, we’ve consistently heard that the wider community wants a Local Alcohol Policy that’s fair as well as effective,” Mayor Mauger says.
“Our residents always come first, and the main purpose of the Local Alcohol Policy is to address the harm caused by alcohol in our community. However, we want to do this while ensuring Christchurch remains a lively and thriving city.
“The result is a Policy that focuses mainly on making alcohol less available at certain times and in certain areas, particularly for those considered more vulnerable, where easy access to alcohol can have a larger impact on the community.”
Any council can develop its own LAP, which can set the number, location, and opening hours of licenced premises, such as bars, cafés and restaurants, supermarkets and bottle stores. These rules can apply across either the whole city and district or only in identified local areas. Once a LAP is in place, it must be reviewed within six years.