A ban on selling booze after 9pm in supermarkets and bottle stores looks set to come into force in Auckland by December. 

A two-year freeze on new liquor stores in the central city and 23 other areas with high alcohol-related harm and crime is also on the cards. 

The new rules are part of a Local Alcohol Policy (LAP) developed by Auckland Council, triggered after South Auckland liquor store owner Navtej Singh was lined up by a gunman and shot while working at his liquor store, Riverton Liquor, in Manurewa in June 2008. 

He died in hospital the next day. In the aftermath, the New Zealand Law Commission, led by Sir Geoffrey Palmer, launched an inquiry into the country’s liquor laws, leading to a law change allowing councils to develop a LAP. 

Local kids add to Navtej Singh's shrine outside his family liquor shop. Photo / Dean Purcell 

Following nearly eight years of legal battles with the country’s two supermarket giants, Auckland Council is on the verge of introducing a LAP before the end of the year. 

Council general manager of policy Louise Mason said at its core, the LAP aims to minimise alcohol-related harm in communities while balancing fair and reasonable requirements for businesses. 

Last week, the Alcohol Regulatory and Licensing Authority approved the policy, and it is expected to get the final stamp of approval from the mayor and councillors on August 29. 

There’s a three-month grace period before the 9pm closing time for off-licence liquor outlets comes into effect. All the new rules are expected to be in place by December. 

Māngere East local Shirl'e Fruean attending a protest outside the proposed Vine St liquor store. Photo / Justin Latif 

The new rules mean: 

- Supermarkets and bottle stores cannot sell alcohol after 9pm (the cut-off is 11pm now). 

- Bars, restaurants and other on-licences cannot sell alcohol later than 4am in the central city and 3am elsewhere. 

- Applications for new bottle stores in the central city and 23 other areas will be rejected for two years unless they meet a very high threshold. 

- Sports clubs and RSAs can sell alcohol no later than 1am. 

- No change for liquor licences for festivals and events. They will continue to be assessed by the district licencing committee. 

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown said like most people, he enjoys a quiet beer at the pub, saying the new rules are not about targeting licensed businesses but wholesale outlets causing drunken trouble on the streets. 

“[The] council has to deal with the consequences, so it makes sense to be able to have more say over where and when liquor is sold,” Brown said. 

Councillor Josephine Bartley, who chairs the committee overseeing the policy and witnessed drunken brawls at Glen Innes in her Maungakiekie-Tāmaki ward, is disappointed at how long the policy has taken for communities. 

“It’s because of the supermarkets taking the council to court. Our communities keep turning up to object to off-licence liquor stores opening up. They get approved even though there are too many liquor stores in that community. It’s about time this Local Alcohol Policy happens,” she said. 

In May last year, the Supreme Court dismissed appeals by Foodstuffs North Island and Woolworths New Zealand on the council’s proposed policy - ending a battle through the courts spanning nearly eight years. 

Auckland councillor Josephine Bartley is disappointed at how long it's taken for the Local Alcohol Policy to be finalised. 

“I’m proud that we are taking this step for our communities. It’s a big move in the council’s commitment to minimise the harm that alcohol can cause to people,” Bartley said. 

Dr Grant Hewison, a lawyer who works on alcohol issues with two community groups in South Auckland, said the policy would lead to significant improvements in alcohol-related harm. 

Shifting the closing time regarding the sale of alcohol at supermarkets and liquor stores from 11 pm to 9pm will prevent pre-loading with cheaper alcohol outside licensed premises, he said. 

He said the two-year freeze on new liquor stores would be welcomed by the South Auckland groups he has represented - Community Against Alcohol Harm and Ōtara Gambling and Alcohol Action Group - and in other areas across the city. 

Local Board figures provided by Hewison show there are about 100 liquor stores in South Auckland - about 18 in the Māngere-Ōtāhuhu Local Board area, 18 in Manurewa, 29 in Ōtara-Papatoetoe, and 40 in Maungakiekie-Tāmaki. 

Former Auckland councillor and policeman George Wood has praised the council's legal team's persistence. Photo / Dean Purcell. 

In the Herald on August 14, George Wood, a former Auckland councillor and policeman for 23 years, praised the council’s legal team’s persistence through the courts. 

“The journey to secure and defend Auckland Council’s Local Alcohol Policy has been long and challenging, but it has been a journey worth taking. 

“Ironically, while the shooter [of Singh] is set to complete his non-parole period in 2027, Auckland Council is still finalising its Local Alcohol Policy - a policy envisioned as a crucial step towards better management and control of alcohol licensing across the Auckland region,” Wood said. 

Spokespersons for Woolworths New Zealand and Foodstuffs said they remained committed to their responsibilities for selling alcohol and will work with Auckland Council on the requirements in the Local Alcohol Policy. 

The Foodstuffs spokesperson said the reason for appealing “had always been so our Auckland customers who want to buy beer and wine could have certainty around these products being available at the same time they do their supermarket shop”. 

The areas covered by the liquor store freeze are the Auckland CBD, including Karangahape Rd, Avondale, Clendon, Glen Eden, Glen Innes, Helensville and Parakai, Henderson, Hunters Corner, Māngere, Māngere East, Manukau, Manurewa, Mt Wellington, Oranga, Ōtāhuhu, Ōtara, Panmure, Papakura, Papatoetoe, Point England, Pukekohe, Takanini, Wellsford and Te Hana, Wiri.