KEY POINTS:
A can of pre-mixed bourbon costs the same as a soft drink in many parts of south Auckland.
In total Manukau City has 502 liquor licences for a population of nearly 329,000 people _ one for every 655 people. Of the total amount, 185 are off-licences, where alcohol can be taken off the premises.
Many of the independently owned shops are found together along main arterial routes, at shopping centres, near schools, bus-stops or sitting beside corner dairies, with bars and clubs not far away.
In the wake of liquor store owner Navtej Singh's murder, Prime Minister Helen Clark said the availability of alcohol and the role of consumption were key drivers of crime in south Auckland.
But per head the city doesn't have the most liquor licences in the country. Christchurch which has a similar sized population has one licence for every 331 people.
However, Manukau liquor licensing inspector Paul Radich says it's not the total number of licences that's a problem _ it's the fact that a "high proportion" _ 36.7 per cent _ are off licences, and that bars, dairies, supermarkets and bottle-shops tend to be "clustered" tightly together.
Cheap alcohol is the result of competition. Pour that into one of the most socio-economically deprived areas in the country and it's been a cocktail for trouble, community leaders say.
A Weekend Herald investigation has found retailers competing on tight margins, forced to keep prices low or risk losing customers.
Manurewa's Happy Liquor store-owner Sanjesh Sharma said with 15 to 16 per cent margins, small businesses were turning over $15,000 a week. But after paying for staff wages, overheads and the alcohol itself, owners were "lucky" to walk away with $2000 a week, after working 70-80 hours: "We're competing amongst ourselves _ that way we're not making any money."
And most customers were price sensitive, he said.
"If I put one cent up _ people move. They don't care about petrol, they care about price. Out here people drink Steinlager. I'm selling it for $21. But other places sell for $20. They [customers] still moan `when is it going to be $20?' They don't want to take another dollar out of their pocket."
He dubbed those customers the $20 market, willing to drink anything in that price range, regardless of what it was. Independently owned shops couldn't compete with supermarket beer sales as many sold it at a loss in order to get people through the door, which left the door open to compete on spirits and Ready to Drink (RTD) mixes, he said.
Across south Auckland the Weekend Herald found virtually the same deals.
A four pack of Kristov Vodka Cruisers sells for $7.99; individual Woodstock cola and bourbon 440ml cans at 8 per cent alcohol for $2.50; lower-strength 5 per cent for $2; individual cans of Cody's, another cola and bourbon mix, at 5 per cent for $2.
In the same stores cans of Pepsi sold for $1.50.
In other parts of Auckland, packs of Kristov Vodka Cruisers sell for $9.99, Woodstock cola and bourbon cans for $2.80 and $2.50, while Cody's is sold only in packs, not singly. The difference in price holds between the same chains operating in Manukau and elsewhere in wider Auckland.
Meanwhile, Mr Radich said breweries should take responsibility for "flooding" the region with booze.
"They've recognised there's a market here."
On Tuesday, Manurewa MP George Hawkins introduced a bill to Parliament which gives councils around the country the ability to cap the number of liquor outlets, requires social impact reviews and widens the grounds on which objections can be made to new outlets.
Manukau City Council has been a long time advocate for strengthening the laws which govern licensing.
"I think a lot of our people out here are disadvantaged, marginalised," said Manurewa Community Board chairman Michael Bailey. " They buy alcohol to dull their situations _ and those people [shop owners] are taking merciless advantage."
WHISKY GALORE
Manukau City
Licensed premises:502
Population:328,968
One for every 655 people
North Shore
Licensed premises:468
Population:220,300
One for every 470
Waitakere
Licensed premises:277
Population:190,000
One for every 685
Papakura
Licensed premises:84
Population:45,600
One for every 542
Auckland City
Licensed premises:2079
Population:401,500
One for every 193
Hamilton
Licensed premises:287
Population: 135,000
One for every 470 people
Tauranga
Licensed premises:323
Population:106,000
One for every 328 people
Wellington
Licensed premises:697
Population:190,500
One for every 273 people
Sources:
District Licensing Agencies, Manukau District Council, Auckland District Council, Papakura District Council
