Speaking of liquor licences; have you seen the hoops bar owners have to jump through to get a special licence? That's if they plan to open so that All Blacks fans can watch early-morning Rugby World Cup matches.
Most of the All Black pool matches fall outside the normal licensed venue hours so bar owners must apply for a special licence. And it appears that all around the country ridiculous inflexible rules will apply.
There may be some variation in the licence costs but the hoops remain largely the same. Licensees will have to agree to conditions like pre-sold tickets, fancy dress, live music, quizzes, guest speakers or themed food.
It's rugby for goodness sake. Friends want to get together with their mates and watch rugby.
They don't want to get wasted. They're not interested in having to buy a ticket to go to a bar. They're not interested in having to eat breakfast during the match. And certainly won't want to listen to any pre-match speaker.
They want to rock up to a bar an hour before the match and get in the mood for a good time. And they want to watch the game undisturbed. They'll want to rehash the game for an hour after the match has finished too. It's the World Cup for goodness sake.
The early start times won't suit everyone but for those who want to get together with their mates in their favourite bar, why should it be so difficult? The first All Blacks game is against Argentina on September 20 kicking off at 3.45am. The next is at 7am and the last two are at 8am. Maybe bar owners will give the Argentina game a miss and apply for special licences for the 7am and 8am games only.
Bar owners are being asked to operate their businesses in a manner that may help to curb excessive drinking. That's not what they're in business to do.
Excessive drinking is not the bar owner's problem, it's the patrons. And excessive drinking doesn't usually occur in bars. Bar owners know how to get rid of drunks.
They can't afford to put their licence at risk by serving them. If New Zealand has a drink problem, the solution doesn't lie with just bar owners. There are myriad factors that contribute to this country's drinking culture.
Responsible bar owners are business people who work hard to create a drinking environment that is conducive to people having a good time.
They try to ensure their patrons are of the legal drinking age and that everyone can enjoy themselves in a safe drinking environment.
They should be able to operate their business with the least interference from "nanny state".
And should the All Blacks lose any of these early-morning games, the police will have more to worry about than a few rowdy, unruly drunks.
They'll experience the usual spike in 111 calls. In homes up and down this country, an All Black loss will invariably be felt heavily by women and children. -Merepeka lives in Rotorua. She writes, speaks and broadcasts to thwart the spread of political correctness.
