They may have opened the council up to litigation from the booze industry, but Whangarei district councillors are making no apologies for taking a tougher stance on where and when liquor can be sold.
The decision to adopt the provisional Local Alcohol Policy followed 283 written submissions, many of which painted a grim picture of alcohol abuse in Whangarei.
The new policy's stand-out features include a provision that no new bottle stores can open for the next six years. Hours for off-licences have also been slashed to between 9am and 9pm, even in supermarkets. The current maximum trading hours are 7am to 10pm.
When the proposed policy was tabled at Wednesday's council meeting, Councillor Sue Glen pushed a last-minute motion to extend the bottle store moratorium from the original three years. She also pushed for a 10am opening, but was voted down.
"The indication is that things are not right out there. [There are] people who have not a lot of hope and for whom alcohol is a source of comfort. We have that opportunity to change that," Ms Glen said.