Alcohol licenses to use common sense

Regulation Minister David Seymour and Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee have today announced the next steps in the implementation of the Ministry for Regulation’s Hospitality Sector Review. “If we are going to unlock New Zealand’s potential, we need to let Kiwi businesses get on with business,” Mr Seymour says. “The average lifespan of a café or restaurant is less than two years. The Review went straight to the source to find out why. The review received 247 written submissions, met directly with 13 sector representative groups, members of 27 District Licensing Committees (DLCs), 12 territorial authorities, 21 hospitality businesses and two community groups. “One of the biggest issues people had was with the alcohol licensing regime. In some cases, getting a license costs more than the economic benefit of having one. In other cases rules make no sense. For example, a cruise ship can serve alcohol when the boat is moving, but can’t when it’s in the port. “Bad regulations kill business. One business told the Review that delays in the licensing process, which in this case took over a year, ended with 30 staff being let go and $200,000 lost in investment, and over $1 million lost