New Alcohol Restrictions Set to Come into Force

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Tougher Restrictions to get that wine at Pak N Save or Countdown

From Auckland Council:

Alcohol policy for Auckland takes next step 

A policy to manage the sale and supply of alcohol in Auckland took another step today with Auckland Council adopting its provisional local alcohol policy (LAP).

The Regional Strategy and Policy Committee today endorsed the recommendations of a hearings panel that took in to consideration more than 2600 submissions received on the draft policy last year.
The provisional policy can now be notified and those who submitted on the draft have a right of appeal.

Hearings panel chair, Cr Bill Cashmore believes the provisional policy has achieved a good balance.

“At the forefront of our decision making was ensuring we have a policy that helped towards reducing alcohol related harm in our communities. But we also recognised the importance of the hospitality industry in terms of employment and its contribution to the economy.

“There are many strong views and I can assure the community and business that we took all of those on board and made some changes to the policy as a result.”

Among the main policy options included in the council’s provisional LAP are:

  • Maximum trading hours for on-licences of  8am to 4am in Auckland’s CBD and 8am up to 3am for the rest of Auckland
  • No option of extension of hours for on-licences
  • Maximum trading hours for all off-licences, including supermarkets of between 9am and 9pm
  • Creation of 23 priority areas where a variety of policy tools will be used to manage density and location
  • One of these is a  two year freeze on the issuing of new off-licences in priority areas from when the policy comes in to effect
  • A range of discretionary licensing conditions
  • The panel also recommended that the proposal included in the draft regarding single sale be amended as a result of submissions.

Once the provisional policy is notified, submitters have 30 days to make an appeal.

The appeals are then considered by the Alcohol Regulatory Licensing Authority (ARLA) which will determined whether the appeals are reasonable in light of the act.

It is unsure how long that process will take so until then, current licensing regulations apply.

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Further Information:

quaxing

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#Quaxing
It is official and spreading globally.

sesquiotic's avatarSesquiotica

Do you like quaxing? I like quaxing. I quax all the time. Well, to be precise, I quax regularly every Friday at around 6:30 pm, and I may also quax on other days of the week.

What is quaxing? By context, you may guess it is not related to sounds ducks or Aristophanic frogs make (brekekekex, quax, quax?). No, this word is an eponym. Or perhaps I should call it a contreponym or perhaps a spitonym, because its sense is pointedly in spite of the person whose name it uses.

I don’t know if this word will take off and last. Its sound is sharp and exceptional and suggests things unrelated to its referent. But right now it’s a fun little flash in the pan. And I bet at least one of my regular Sesquiotica readers (hello, Janet!) will know it already, since she’s from New Zealand, which is…

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New Council Director of Governance Appointed

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New Mayoral Chief of Staff to be appointed

From Auckland Council:

Auckland Council Director of Governance announcement

Today Auckland Council CEO, Stephen Town, announced the appointment of Phil Wilson as the new Director of Governance.

Mr Wilson is currently Chief of Staff to the Mayor of Auckland. He has led the Mayor’s office since 2010 through the formative stages of the new Auckland Council since amalgamation. Phil has a long background in local government and has held a number of senior management roles. He was previously General Manager of HR and Communications for Manukau City Council and then Chief Advisor to that organisation which included leading both the Chief Executive and Mayoral offices.

Stephen Town says “Phil is a well-established figure in local government in Auckland.  He brings with him first-hand experience of our unique governance structure and considerable experience and knowledge. I look forward to welcoming him onto the refreshed Executive Leadership team.”

The Mayor Len Brown says “Phil is ideally suited to this position, he has a passion for Auckland and a track record of strong leadership.  I want to thank him for the work he has done in the initial phase of establishing Auckland Council and his role in helping establish a vision for council and for Auckland”

Mr Wilson replaces Grant Taylor who completed his fixed term as Director of Governance.

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Further Information:

Auckland Council has 171 elected members across Auckland. This role is an influential primary contact point for the Governing Body, the 21 Local Boards and the Independent Maori Statutory Board. This role is also responsible for the audit and risk function and Te Waka Angamua, the team who are responsible for enabling the Council’s contribution to Maori well-being by driving the Council’s Maori responsiveness plan.

—ends—