Council Alcohol Policy Backdown Sensible

Jacob Toner, independent candidate for the Northern Ward, supports a balanced alcohol policy that isn’t punitive against responsible drinkers.

Mr Toner states “Wellington has a vibrant nightlife that is a tourist draw card and great for local residents. Our nightlife scene has developed over the last decade and we are now well known as the craft beer capital of New Zealand. We have signature events on Wellington’s calendar – Beervana, the Pacific Beer Festival and more recently Choice Beer Week – as well as some of the best craft beer bars in the country like Hashigo Zake, Fork & Brewer and Goldings Free Dive amongst many others.

The Council put out a draft Alcohol Management Strategy (AMS) and draft Local Alcohol Policy (LAP) that would have shut down late night entertainment with restrictive trading hours and confined the entertainment scene to a small area. Our nightlife has evolved and there are a large range of great venues, many of which are thriving outside of the traditional scene of Courtney Place.”

The Councils documents estimate that between 4–7am there are $33m worth of electronic transactions in Wellington. 6,000 people are employed in the local hospitality sector and Hospitality New Zealand estimates that $11m of wages are paid between 4-7am.

“The vast majority of people are out to enjoy a responsible fun night, and shouldn’t be penalised by the actions of a drunken loutish few. The council needs to take a more balanced approach that supports the entertainment industry and people wanting to have a good time and focus its efforts on troublemakers.

The Council looks likely to back down from their original restrictive stance which is a victory for common sense. If I am elected as a representative for the Northern Ward in the upcoming local body elections I pledge to support our local entertainment scene with a balanced alcohol policy while focusing efforts on the minority that spoil it for the rest.”

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