Banks under fire over alcohol policy

John Banks. Photo / The Aucklander.

Super City mayoral contender John Banks is facing heat over his liquor policy on top of revelations that his son Alex was among those who "egged on" a schoolmate who died after binge-drinking.

Last week, Mr Banks flip-flopped over his support for 24-hour drinking at central city bars, and now supports 4am closing.

Yesterday, the Auckland City Mayor was accused of failing to show leadership to close bottle stores at 10pm and give communities a say on liquor outlets.

Last October, Mr Banks and his Citizens & Ratepayers allies abandoned liquor licensing changes following a hostile reaction from the hospitality industry to plans to close suburban bars at midnight.

Attempts at the time by City Vision councillors to continue public consultation of the opening hours and location of off-licence alcohol outlets were also knocked back by Mr Banks and C&R, who said the council would wait for the Law Commission's review of the Sale of Liquor Act.

Last night, Super City mayoral contender and Manukau Mayor Len Brown said his council had led the fight to crack down on liquor outlets, while Auckland City and its leader had been silent.

"It just smacks of a total lack of backbone when it comes to delivering on policies that have direct impact on our communities. It is a total position of hypocrisy," he said.

City Vision leader Richard Northey said it was possible Mr Banks had genuinely become more concerned about alcohol issues after the death of 16-year-old King's College student James Webster, who died in May after binge-drinking neat vodka at an 18th birthday party in Grey Lynn.

Mr Northey challenged Mr Banks to show his born-again concern about the problems caused by unregulated liquor stores by supporting a notice of motion he was putting to a council committee next week to restart the process for tighter controls and a community veto over new outlets.

Mr Banks defended his position on liquor outlets, saying that last year the Government had not long announced a review on the issue and the advent of the Super City allowed for a smarter, regional approach.

"Since the beginning of this year I have strongly and consistently advocated for the changes to liquor laws that the Government has proposed," he said.

Mr Banks and alcohol have been unkind bedfellows. He watched his mother die from alcoholism and he does not drink.

The mayor grounded his son Alex, 17, and ordered him to take a first aid course for being among those at the party who egged on James Webster. On TVNZ's Close Up programme this week, Mr Banks described the death as a sad day for both families.

The Websters are still waiting for answers about what happened at the party in Grey Lynn.

They know the identity of the 17-year-old King's College student who bought James' vodka and want to know how, where and why.

"The endless possibilities of what could have happened spin around and around and around in your head and the spinning only stops when you get answers to all the questions," said uncle Donald Webster.

The 17-year-old's parents have hired Auckland barrister Peter Davey, who sent two emails saying they "respectfully declined" the request to meet.

- additional reporting: Rachel Tiffen