Salvation Army Calls for Reduced Alcohol Sale Hours Amid Policy U-Turn

By [Your Name], Senior Editor

The Salvation Army has voiced strong concerns over a recent policy shift that appears to abandon plans to reduce alcohol sale hours, warning that the move could leave vulnerable communities at greater risk from alcohol-related harm.

Under the proposed reforms, off-licence sale hours were set to be reduced from 16 hours a day (currently 7am–11pm) to 12 hours, starting from 9am. The initial plan, championed by Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee, aimed to curb alcohol-related violence and harm, with estimates suggesting the change could prevent up to 2,400 violent crimes annually.

However, leaked cabinet documents revealed the government has now shifted its focus away from reducing sale hours and instead is prioritizing easing regulatory burdens for the alcohol industry. This about-face has prompted criticism from public health advocates and organizations like the Salvation Army, who argue that alcohol-related harm is costing the country over $9.1 billion annually.

Dr. Bonnie Robinson, Director of the Salvation Army’s Social Policy and Parliamentary Unit, expressed disappointment and concern over the change in direction.

‘We don’t know why we’ve ended up with a draft cabinet paper that looks quite different to what we were expecting,’ she said. ‘Certainly, the alcohol industry lobbies the government, and the industry does have a lot of resources behind it.’

The Salvation Army is now urging the government to reconsider the policy shift and refocus on harm reduction. ‘We’ll certainly be writing to the minister and urging her to make the reforms focused on alcohol harm reduction, in particular, if we can get back to that reduction of sales hours,’ Robinson said.

She emphasized that the issue extends beyond public health, touching on crime, family violence, and community safety. ‘It’s a public health issue. It’s also a crime and family violence issue. It goes across a lot of issues that government is concerned about,’ she added.

More than 20 councils across the country had been working on local alcohol policies, with three already implementing 9pm closing hours for off-licence sales in Auckland, Christchurch, and Hastings. However, other councils, such as Grey District and Hamilton City, have abandoned their own local initiatives, citing high costs and potential legal challenges from the alcohol industry.

Hamilton City Council, for example, spent over $200,000 on staff and legal time before ultimately abandoning its plan to change alcohol sale hours after receiving three appeals, including from the company Progressive Enterprises.

Dr. Robinson argued that a national law change to the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act could ease the burden on local councils and provide a more efficient and equitable approach to alcohol regulation.

‘It strengthens the arm of councils when they also want to make adjustments in their communities,’ she said. ‘Without that, each council does have to do that policy themselves. It’s very inefficient in terms of lawmaking and, for smaller councils particularly, it can be very expensive for them to do it.’

She pointed to Rotorua as a case study, where 60% of bottle shops are located in the most deprived suburbs, which account for only 11% of the population but one-third of alcohol-related hospital admissions.

‘Behind those stats are real people who are suffering, because they are being harmed by alcohol and addiction to alcohol,’ Robinson said. ‘We do have the opportunity to reduce that harm. It’s not going to eliminate it, but we can at least make some dents in that harm, if we do some really good reform, especially around trading hours.’

International evidence supports the Salvation Army’s stance, showing that reducing trading hours can help reduce alcohol-related harm by limiting access, particularly in vulnerable communities.

‘The less alcohol is available, the less harmful drinking we have and the less harm from alcohol we have – the research is very clear on this,’ Robinson said. ‘That’s why we do need to protect these vulnerable communities. We need to make sure there isn’t a proliferation of off-licences in them and we need to reduce the hours that the existing off-licences can operate, and that will reduce harm.’

With the government’s current direction, advocates like the Salvation Army are now calling for a renewed push for reforms that prioritize public health and community safety over industry interests.