Too much liquor being poured into poor communities

Too much liquor being poured into poor communities

The Maori Party says it is concerned with what appears to be too many liquor licenses being granted in deprived areas.

“Our poor communities are frothing at the mouth about alcohol,” Maori Party local government and alcohol issues spokesperson Rahui Katene said.

“The only places in this country where you will find three or more liquor shops, pokie outlets and loan sharks on a one kilometre stretch of road are in deprived areas where the people who live there are on very low incomes.”

Mrs Katene said because there were so many off-site liquor outlets in close proximity to each other, this created an unhealthy and unsafe environment of competition.

"People have told me stories of liquor being sold at prices cheaper than milk,” Mrs Katene said.

“The city and district councils which issue these licences need to wake up because they are running these communities, which are already in hardship, further into the ground.”

Mrs Katene commended the recent efforts by the Waitangirua community, at Porirua, for protesting against an application to Porirua City Council for another offsite liquor licence to be granted in the area.

“I praise the people of Waitangirua because they stood up and said there is already too much booze available in their community and that they are sick of the domestic violence, vandalism and willful damage that springs from it.”

ENDS