Barry Soper: Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent on the new alcohol reforms being put through by the Government

The Government's new reforms are being welcomed by the alcohol industry body.

The Government's proposing making businesses have further zero and low alcohol products on sale, to meet growing demand.

It's also allowing businesses to respond to objections on licensing, and permitting wineries and breweries to have both an on and off license.

Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper explains why many are welcoming these changes.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Politics with centric credit, check your customers and get payments certainty.

Speaker 2 (00:04):
Thirteen away from five. Barry Soper, senior political correspondent, is
with us in studio. Hey Barry, Good afternoon, Heather. What
do you make of the liquor licensing rule changes?

Speaker 1 (00:12):
Well, I think they're long overdue. Actually, that's been very
restrictive in communities. Under the reforms, only people from the
local community would be able to object to new license applications,
while applicants would gain a formal right of reply. So
that's a good change. The other changes will allow, and

(00:32):
you'll be happy with this one. When you go to
the hair dresses, you'll be able to have a drink legally,
So wineries, breweries and distilleries in fact off licenses. They'll
let hair dresses and barbers serve small amounts of alcohol
without a license. But then I guess the question is asked,
isn't it what's a small amount of alcohol? So I

(00:53):
don't know how they can be around that.

Speaker 3 (00:54):
One small to you might be someone else with gigantic quantity.

Speaker 1 (00:58):
Precisely you come out, come out of the air dress,
are looking rather wonky. But then to tie the point,
it's interesting Nicole McKee, who's the Associate Justice Minister. She
said the changes also included harm reduction measures, she tells us,
including barring delivery services from serving highly intoxicated buyers.

Speaker 4 (01:19):
Here, she is Uber Eats is one example where they
already have measures in place to make sure that they
are delivering to the correct people. We want to ensure
that that's across all delivery services, and it will be
incumbent upon them to ensure that they do not serve
or deliver to those that are already well intoxicated in
those that are underage. There is a bit of a

(01:40):
loophole there in the deliveries, and so I'm making sure
that we are managing that and closing it.

Speaker 1 (01:46):
How on earth they're going to do that, I don't know.
You imagine if you're an Uber driver, you turn up
to an address somebody's pissed at the door and wants
to take delivery of more alcohol that you're going to
tell them, no, you're not allowed to have it as
you're drunk. I mean, that's really putting a.

Speaker 2 (02:03):
Lot as well that No.

Speaker 1 (02:05):
I just I think it could create for Uber drivers
and the like other delivery people a real problem. Well,
if somebody's boozed and you're, you know, you're keeping the
liquor from them. I wouldn't like to be in that position.

Speaker 3 (02:20):
No fair enough, okay, So explain to me how this
electric office rent is working.

Speaker 2 (02:24):
Well.

Speaker 1 (02:26):
I think it's a bit of a storm and a
teacup actually, because they're saying Chris Luxen he has a
rental property that he's letting out to Parliamentary Services for
his electorate office. And look, if you've got a property
you might be your elector office. There could be I
guess some would see a conflict of interest there, but

(02:48):
he's made it quite public that he earns about forty
five thousand dollars a year for his office. But it's
not only that Labor's doing the same thing. They're getting
out officers as well. And these are officers that Labor
Properties Limited own, so they're all doing it. I can't

(03:09):
see there's anything wrong in it. I mean, if you've
got to if you've got to have an electorate office,
you've got the landlord's got to be somebody.

Speaker 2 (03:16):
Well, I think that Barry.

Speaker 3 (03:17):
The problem is the perception that these guys are making
making bank of us because they are all right, they're
getting into it.

Speaker 2 (03:22):
They should be getting.

Speaker 3 (03:23):
Into it and serving the people of New Zealand, not
making bank. And every single one of them based well
that's not many of them are making bank.

Speaker 1 (03:29):
Well, you know, you own a building, you own an office,
you want an electorate office, So would you sooner pay
another line?

Speaker 2 (03:37):
I'm just saying, Barry, I just answered. Sorry, gee, sorry,
I answer. I answered your question. Answer to your question. Hey,
can I have you seen have you heard what John
Tom said.

Speaker 1 (03:47):
About I was going to talk about it, but look,
tell me what I think. The comments are disgraceful, to
be perfectly honest, and this is typical of John Tammerherdy.
And I've got to say the Mouldi Party, there are
a bunch of protesters. They have seats in parliament unfortunately,
so I guess you've got to talk about what they

(04:08):
say and what Tamahiriy has said, not just that, he
said much worse than that about Nazi Germany.

Speaker 3 (04:13):
It's just not all Hey, Barry, thank you very much,
appreciate it. Bary Sober, Senior political correspondent.

Speaker 2 (04:19):
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