All posts in the topic Halswell Booze Warehouse (Short link)
Summary
- There are 6 posts — by 3 authors — in this topic.
- Latest post made by graeme stanley at Nov 04 07:47 UTC
Hi,
I've been fronting up a campaign to try to stop the local NW supermarket owner
turning the old supermarket site in Halswell(which he also owns) into a bottle
shop - beer, wine, spirits and a few aisles of alcopops for the kids. We, in
Halswell, reckon it would make a great library and service centre, with room
for local businesses. Not a goer as far as the owner (Barry Gray) is
concerned.
We are trying to stop it and I took our petition along to a candidates forum in
Lincoln last night. Following a question about booze the National candidate
gave a stinging denunciation of alcohol-fueled violence and crime and how we've
got to come down hard on it (boot camps etc.) and then hypocritically refused
to sign our petition (symbolic since we don't have a chance of stopping it
since the Sale of Liquor Act 1989 does not allow the local community to have a
say in any effective way - it's all about the rights of business/property not
people (reading it I thought it was a National Act but it was passed by
Labour). Pepsi/coke, eh?). Having said that, David Coates (the Labour
candidate) does support us and is trying to help.
There was an inadvertent moment of humour at the forum. The candidate for one
of the Christian, kid-whacking parties strayed into the area of sex education
and told us their policy was "abstinence on entry" (I think he meant abstinence
was to be preferred), I muttered "Oxymoron"and the front row broke up.
However, on this specific matter of the booze barn (I'm referring only to
ethanol, C2H5OH (can't do subscripts) only so keep on track) what do you think
is the right balance between the rights of a community and those of an owner to
do what he/she wishes?
Cheers.
Tom
PS - Keep it short - more is not better (reference J D Watson and F H C Crick,
Nature Vol 171, 737, 1953)
Hi Tom, Brendon Burns Labour Candidate for Christchurch Central has been
advocating that the current liquor laws are failing in there duty and there is
support for reform emerging in Christchurch. Our current wide open liquor laws
are driving much of Christchurchs inner city violence and vandalism problems
Labour M.P. George Hawkins currently has a bill before Parliament which deals
with the current inability of a community like Halswell or my suburb of St
Albans to have any say in who gets liquor licences.I understand there are
around 1,200 licenced outlets in Christchurch more than three times as many as
20years ago.Our nations guiding legislation on alcohol,the Sale of Liquor Act
1989 has as its principal object "to establish a reasonable system of control
over the sale and supply of liquor to the public with the aim of contributing
to the reduction of alcohol abuse so far as that can be achieved by legislative
means." You dont have to look far on any weekend in Christchurch to see that
the Act is manifestly failing its objective. The police say that while it is P
that gets the medias attention alcohol is our number one DRUG PROBLEM and
should not be sold as it is,with little recognition of the harm it does.Brendon
Burns organised a Liquor Forum in June that signalled that a broad
consensus for change is emerging if we want to build better communities.
I have just heard Co Leader Maori Party Dr Peter Sharples advocating shutting
all liquor shops in South Auckland. Tom, The NEW WORLD HALSWELL BOOZE
WAREHOUSE is but the tip of the iceberg. Earlier in year COUNTDOWN tried to
get a full liquor licence at its Moorhouse Ave. supermarket.and lost the first
round. But these big business people have lots of money and lawyers and they
will try again.I believe that our communities like Halswell & St Albans
should have an equal say that is recognised in law over what comes into our
communities It is time to wind back our Liquor laws and to affirm that we have
gone too far Cheers, Graeme Stanley.
Hi Graeme,
Too right. We could stop this if the Bill before Parliament had been
brought in earlier (there's been a decade of inaction by Parliament) but
it's too late for our community.
One thing that has emerged during our campaign is that Fairfax media have
kept the lid on it. I have written letters, emailed and phoned reporters at
several of the local papers and so have several others who are against it.
Not a whisper in any of the papers - one of the downsides of a city where
all those who count know each other.
I did get on NewsTalkZB, however - Alli Jones + a news item.
Hi Phil,
I read your post with interest as this sort of issue comes up a lot in
public health and urban planning circles at the moment, but I didn't reply
because I didn't think I had anything worthwhile to say.
However, one of the functions of the forum is networking, so in lieu of any
intelligent comments I'll refer the issue on to the Canterbury branch of the
Public Health Association and some of my urban planning friends in the
Council. If they have anything constructive to say I'll let you know.
Cheers
Kelly Ronayne
On Tue, Nov 4, 2008 at 6:12 PM, Tom Taylor <mimas@xtra.co.nz> wrote:
Hi Phil et al,
Good point - is it Canterbury Issues or personal hobby-horses?
Check out the Halswell Booze Warehouse thread. We're trying to get a new
liquor shop stopped - beer, wine, spirits and (of course) plenty of alcopops
for the kids. 40+ letters of objection, over 400 have signed our petition.
I'm both election campaigning for the Greens and on this as well - it's
about community. Lianne Dalziel supports us - if the Bill she and George
Hawkins have in Parliament was law then we could stop it. As it is we have
law (the Sale of Liquor Act 1989) that is based on an ideology of
de-regulation, the market will provide and profit counts more than people (I
thought it was a Tory Act but it was passed under a Labour government!).
Social engineering on a massive scale. It drives home the point that
National/Labour is just pepsi/coke.
I've had just 1 (one) response.
Cheers.
Tom
Party vote Green!
Hi everyone on this Halswell Booze Warehouse Topic and all you others who seek
to promote cannabis as the HOT LOCAL TOPIC. Lets get real here.! The Police
widely acknowledge that the NO 1 DRUG Problem in Christchurch is alcohol not P
or even cannabis. What we should be addressing is why Christchurch needs
1,200 liquor outlets? Including a HALSWELL BOOZE WAREHOUSE? In whose best
interests are these liquor outlets serving? Not ours! It is noted that big
business is zeroing in on owning even more liquor outlets in
CHRISTCHURCH/nz..( Note Foodstuffs purchase of Liquorland last week
nationwide). Is not New World part of this Empire? Why is the Christchurch
Public Hospitals emergency Dept brought to a standstill most weekend nights by
over Trolleyed people all who have been involved in serious altercations
because of alcohol incidents.Why do we allow 30 Party buses to descend on our
city late at night every weekend with at least 40 each already pumped up
young to old people intent on getting Trolleyed.Is not these 1200 plus
people a recipe for disaster? To get back to the NEW WORLD Halswell Booze
Warehouse alcohol is BIG BUSINESS. And big business is fuelling this problem
but accepting no responsibility for doing so.
So then we have the people cost of Alcohol abuse and over -indulgence,the sale
of RTDs and other products to minors and the violenceand sometimes death
that often follows ,police time investigating and charges, court cases , the
dislocation to families loss of work time the destruction of property by over
trolleyed people including the littering of our streets and footpaths and the
social consequences of all these actions etc I welcome George Hawkins M.P
Manurewa supported by Lianne DALZIEL Minister of Commerce and Christchurch
Central candidate Brendon Burns strong stand to address the Sale of Liquor
Act 1959.shortcomings with a bill before the Parliament..It is also time that
Local Communities/Accredited Residents Associations were listened to and given
equal status in law in relation to the Christchurch LIQUOR LICENCES
Applications Cheers, Graeme Stanley.