Alcohol Strategy and Action Plan 2009-2014

You are here > Home > Council Documents > Plans and Strategies > Alcohol Strategy and Action Plan 2009-2014 > Part 3 Supporting Information: Strategic Framework

Part 3 Supporting Information: Strategic Framework

Community Outcomes

The strategy is designed to reflect the type of community that the people of New Plymouth District would like to live in and the place that alcohol can have in this community. As a strategic document, the alcohol strategy provides guidance to Council for the management of alcohol related functions. It will also support and provide input into management documents such as the District Plan and Long-Term Council Community Plan (LTCCP). It is a key step towards achieving the New Plymouth district's community outcomes as outlined in the Council's LTCCP. Reducing the harms associated with alcohol misuse and promoting safer alcohol-related environments support the Council's strategic priorities and community outcomes of Connected, Prosperous, Secure and Healthy, Skilled, Together and Vibrant, but primarily relate to:

• Secure And Healthy - a district that provides a safe, healthy and friendly place to work, live or visit, and
  • There is equality of access to a comprehensive range of high-quality health and disability services when required
  • The environmental, physical and mental health of the people of Taranaki is maintained, enhanced, promoted and protected
  • A well-being model for health is prompted in the region, where people are encouraged to take ownership of their health to promote good health outcomes
  • Residents and visitors of all ages feel safe and crime is reduced
  • Monitor and respond to local health statistics. ³²
    
    
• Together - a district that is caring, inclusive and works together and where people have a strong sense of identify
  • All people feel valued and supported within a caring community and have a sense of quality and belonging
  • A cohesive, united community exists based on strong relationships between people from different cultures, communities and organisations. Multi-ethnic diversity is celebrated and different cultural values are respected.
  • People from all sectors of the community are able and encouraged to contribute to their communities, and opportunities to participate are enhanced.
  • Cooperation, collaboration and coordination between agencies, organisations and Councils occur to avoid duplication of resources, minimise red tape and promote a consistent focus.³³

Council Roles and Responsibilities

Under the Local Government Act 2002, Council's have a duty to promote the cultural, economic, environmental and social wellbeing of current and future generations. The mandate given to Councils under the act provides the basis upon which this strategy is developed

New Plymouth District Council can influence alcohol sale, supply and use in New Plymouth through a number of roles and responsibilities. These are:

Licensing agency: Under the Sale of Liquor Act 1989, the Council has the status of a District Licensing Agency (DLA), responsible for issuing licences for the sale and supply of liquor, and certifying managers who are in control of licenced premises. The DLA also has responsibilities under the SOLA in working with other regulatory agencies including the Police, the Medical Officer of Health and Fire, to monitor licencees' compliance with the conditions of their licence and the requirements of the Sale of Liquor Act (SoLA).

Venue owner: Council owns a number of community facilities across the District, and is able to determine conditions and enforce compliance on the use of alcohol at these facilities

Employer: As one of the largest employers in the District, the Council is well placed to model leadership and good employer practices by promoting host responsibility.

Legislator: Bylaws are rules or regulations that are created by the Council to control specific activities within New Plymouth District. The part of the bylaw focusing on liquor control aims to enhance the safety of citizens, protect the public from nuisance and minimise the potential for offensive behaviour in public places by controlling the consumption and possession of liquor in specified public places. This part of the bylaw is made under the Local Government Act 2002 sections 145 and 147 (2).  

Facilitator: NPDC in collaboration with community groups and organisations will develop and implement community initiatives to reduce alcohol related harms.

Event promotion: NPDC also provides and supports a range of community functions and events, and can influence the use of alcohol at these events Together, these roles and responsibilities enable the Council to develop an integrated and coordinated approach to minimising alcohol related harms and promoting safer alcohol related environments within the district. Return to top

Roles and Responsibilities of Other Agencies

Working closely alongside the Council to support the minimisation of alcohol related harm in the community are the police, district health board and fire service. Their ability to influence the reduction of alcohol related harm in the community is set out in the following roles and responsibilities under the SOLA:

• Police - have duty to enquire into and report on all licence applications under the SOLA to the DLA. The police are entitled to appear and be heard at a hearing of the application. Police can also apply to the DLA for a variation, suspension or cancellation of any licence or special licence. They will be concerned with offences from the licencee or applicant or any breach of licence, and notify the DLA accordingly. They have powers to serve infringement notices and close premises, and powers of entry and inspection onto premises.
• District Health Board - duty to enquire into and report on all applications for licences under the SOLA to the DLA.
• Fire Service - duty to enquire into and report on all applications for licences under the SOLA to the DLA.

Legislative Links

There are three key Acts that determine the planning, regulatory and enforcement functions of local government relating to the sale and consumption of alcohol: the Sale of Liquor Act (SoLA) 1989; the Resource Management Act (RMA) 1991 and the Local Government Act (LGA) 2002. These form legislative mandate for local authority roles and responsibilities related to alcohol. The key points of each Act are summarised as follows:

• The Sale of Liquor Act 1989 - as amended in 1999, the SoLA establishes a reasonable system of control over the sale and supply of liquor to the public with the aim of contributing to the reduction of liquor abuse. To do this it:
  • Requires a licence for the sale of liquor by on-licences, off-licences, clubs, and at special events.
  • Creates standards for the management of licenced premises.
  • Sets out conditions on licences requiring compliance with the act including the sale of alcohol to minors and intoxicated persons
    
    
• The Resource Management Act 1991 - manages the effects of development on the natural and physical environment and requires each local government to develop a District Plan to regulate land use. Councils are required to manage land use to remedy, mitigate or avoid the negative effects such use may have on their communities and the environment. Effects considered are environmental and relate to such matters as noise and traffic generation.
  
  Under the SOLA premises requesting to sell alcohol are required to hold a building certificate and RMA certificate that demonstrates that the premises meets the rules set out under the RMA and district plan.
  
  
• The Local Government Act 2002 - requires local territorial authorities to "play a broad role in promoting the social, economic, environmental and cultural well-being of their communities, taking a sustainable development approach". It also requires Council to produce a Long Term Council Community Plans (LTCCP) that set out their community's outcomes and priorities. All decisions of the Council must consider their impact on community outcomes. The broad power of well-being positions Council to take a key role in social matters such as alcohol minimisation in partnership with other social agencies.
  
  Additionally the LGA (2002) created a new section providing territorial local authorities the power to make bylaws for liquor control purposes (s147). In effect this section relates to prohibiting or otherwise regulating or controlling, (either generally or for one or more specified periods):
  • the consumption of liquor in a public place.
  • the bringing of liquor into a public place.
  • the possession of liquor in a public place.
  • in conjunction with a prohibition relating to liquor, the presence or use of a vehicle in a public place. Return to top

National Alcohol Framework

At the national policy level, the Government's approach to reducing harm from alcohol (and tobacco and other drugs) is described in the National Drug Policy 2007-2012 (NDP 2007-12).³⁴ Building on the first National Drug Policy, the NDP 2007-12 acknowledges that drug policy is a complex area that requires input and participation from a wide range of agencies and partners, including local authorities. The overarching goal of the National Drug Policy is to prevent and reduce the health, social and economic harms that are linked to tobacco, alcohol, illegal and other drug use. Reducing harm from alcohol and other drugs is one of the five issues for priority action identified in "Opportunity for All New Zealanders", the Government's summary of its overall social policy.³⁵

The NDP 2007-12 recognises that there is a continuum of harm associated with drug use and that no single approach or strategy can address the problems.³⁶ A range of concurrent strategies are needed, including the development of specific strategies that are responsive and culturally appropriate in addressing the needs of Māori, Pacific peoples and young people, acknowledging the over-representation of these groups in many drug related issues. Strategies to support the implementation of the NDP 2007-12 can be divided into three groups, or pillars:

1. supply control
2. demand reduction; and
3. problem limitation.

Changes in the availability, patterns and contexts of alcohol consumption are required to reduce the burden of harms due to alcohol, and interventions need to be responsive and culturally appropriate to the needs of Māori, Pacific peoples and young people, given the disproportionate burden of harm experienced by these population groups.

Maori Engagement

Under section 81 of the Local Government Act 2002 and as matter of good practice and partnership, the Council must involve Māori in decision-making. For the purpose of this strategy, it is crucial that Māori are given the opportunity to participate in making decisions about how the Council manages alcohol in its community.

In the information gathering phase of the strategy the Working Party identified Māori participants who had knowledge of the community's issues. The formal consultation phase will involve a workshop with the iwi liaison subcommittee as the mandated representatives of local iwi and hapu. There will also be opportunities for focus group participants, Māori and Māori organisations to make submissions on the draft strategy. There may be also be opportunities in the Action Plan part of the Strategy to develop more effective partnerships with Māori on the management of alcohol in the community.

References

³² New Plymouth District Council: Moving forward together. Community Plan 2006-2016.

³³ New Plymouth District Council: Moving forward together. Community Plan 2006-2016.

³⁴ Ministerial Committee on Drug Policy. (2007). National Drug Policy 2007-2012. Wellington: Ministry of Health.
 
³⁵ Office of the Minister for Social Development and Employment. (2004). Opportunity for All New Zealanders. Wellington: Ministry of Social Development.

³⁶ Ministerial Committee on Drug Policy. (2007). National Drug Policy 2007-2012. Wellington: Ministry of Health

Return to top