• Five liquor stores in Tauranga were suspended for selling alcohol to minors during compliance operations.
• Manager certificates at four stores were suspended for twenty-eight days by the Alcohol Regulatory and Licensing Authority.
• Dr Tony Farrell called for stricter licensing criteria and mandatory training for duty managers.

Five liquor stores across the wider Tauranga area caught selling booze to minors have had their licences to sell alcohol suspended for two days next month with another three suspension decisions pending.

Liquorland CBD Tauranga, Bottle Craft Te Puna, Avenue Liquor Centre, Papamoa Liquor Centre and Super Liquor Te Puke have all lost their right to sell alcohol for 48 hours.

Manager certificates at four of the five stores – Liquorland CBD Tauranga, Bottle Craft Te Puna, Papamoa Liquor Centre and Super Liquor Te Puke – have also been suspended for 28 days next month.

The suspensions were ordered by the independent Alcohol Regulatory and Licensing Authority (ARLA) after controlled purchase operations involving underage volunteers on March 8 or 9.

In its written decisions, the authority said the duty managers involved admitted they had not asked the volunteer’s age, their date of birth nor if they had any suitable form of identification.

The breaches of the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act occurred during joint compliance operations by Tauranga City Council’s licensing inspectors and a Tauranga police alcohol harm prevention co-ordinator.

The suspensions have sparked calls for “greater accountability and oversight” of off-licence premises and stricter licensing criteria for duty managers from Tauranga alcohol harm expert Dr Tony Farrell.

The council, which sought the eight suspensions, has confirmed the number of compliance failures during controlled purchase operations had more than doubled in two years.

Council’s compliance message

Council Alcohol Licensing team leader Sam Kemp said eight premises failed controlled purchase operations last month.

Kemp said the council was awaiting ARLA decisions for the remaining three off-licence premises and three duty managers for whom suspension applications had been submitted.

“Over the past few years, we have observed a significant increase in compliance failures, which have more than doubled from three in 2023, and four suspensions in 2024.”

He said the four suspensions last year included two duty managers, one of whom allowed a person to become intoxicated on the premises.

To date there had been eight failures in 2025, he said.

“This trend appears to be primarily due to complacency among duty managers, who often neglect basic compliance practices such as asking customers for their age or requesting identification.”

Mount Medical Centre co-owner Dr Tony Farrell. Photo / Supplied

Call for greater deterrent measures

Dr Tony Farrell from Mount Medical Centre said the sale of alcohol to minors was “extremely concerning”.

“The evidence is clear that alcohol use in those under 18 is associated with significant harm.

“Including increased risk of injury, impaired brain development, poorer academic outcomes, suicide, and greater likelihood of risky behaviours.

“Early alcohol use also increases the risk of developing long-term dependency. These harms are well-documented and preventable. ”

He said retailers who sold alcohol had a responsibility to “uphold the law and protect young people from these risks” and failing to check ID was a “serious breach” of that duty.

For many large retail outlets, a two-day closure may be “little more” than an inconvenience.

Farrell said he supported “mandatory training and stricter licensing criteria” for duty managers, regular controlled purchase operations and a graduated penalty system that included longer suspensions.

He said the broader issue was that off-licence alcohol sales were “widely accessible and heavily marketed”, particularly to vulnerable populations, including youth.

“A national approach to reducing alcohol availability and advertising exposure is urgently needed.”

Courts and Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee said it was the responsibility of liquor outlets to work within the law and conditions of their licence.

“I am aware that most licence holders have appropriate systems in place to ensure they do. However, those who fail to comply should be expected to face the full consequences of their offending.”

McKee said she regularly met with stakeholders with a range of interests and views on alcohol licensing.

“We are looking at many parts of the [Sale and Supply of Alcohol] act that can address harm reduction, but also note an overall reduction in alcohol consumption generally.”

Licence suspension periods

• Super Liquor Te Puke off-licence suspension from 9am on May 3 to 9am on May 5
• Liquorland CBD Tauranga, Papamoa Liquor Centre, Bottle Craft TePuna and Avenue Liquor Centre off-licence suspensions from 9am on May 4 to 9am on May 6.
• Manager certificate suspensions for Liquorland CBD Tauranga, Papamoa Liquor Centre, Bottle Craft TePuna and Super Liquor Te Puke from May 5 to June 1.

Sandra Conchie is a senior journalist at the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post who has been a journalist for 24 years. She mainly covers police, court and other justice stories, as well as general news. She has been a Canon Media Awards regional/community reporter of the year.