Media Release: Manurewa Youth Council
30 August 2012

Move on and Pass the Alcohol Reform Bill – Manurewa Youth Council

Parliament has decided to keep the alcohol purchase age at 18, and now it is time Parliament moved on and urgently passed the Alcohol Reform Bill without delay.

While the Manurewa Youth Council supported an alcohol purchase age of 20, this is not the only area of concern to young people in Manurewa.

“The Alcohol Reform Bill represents pragmatic and sensible reforms to the Sale of Liquor Act and will empower communities such as Manurewa to be able to regulate the supply of liquor within their communities,” says Manurewa Youth Council Chair, Simeon Brown.

“The Manurewa Youth Council is concerned that this bill will continue to be bogged down in Parliamentary delay tactics while the community wants this passed now so that they can get on with creating a Local Alcohol Policies (LAPs) to prevent the proliferation of suburban bottle shops on street corners.

“The longer this bill sits down the order paper, the longer it will take for communities to be empowered to start addressing the impact of alcohol in their communities as this bill will take time to enforce. Just last week the Manurewa Local Board highlighted the application of Zephyr Lux Limited in Manurewa to extend its opening hours from 7am, 7 days a week, in anticipation of the new legislation making it harder to do this. If we don’t act soon, the community will be further disenfranchised as liquor licences are renewed.

“The young people of Manurewa want to see action, and they want to see it now.” Brown concludes.

ENDS

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