At a consultation hearing for a draft of the Dunedin City Council’s local alcohol policy (LAP) on Wednesday, Woolworths national alcohol responsibility manager Paul Radich told the committee there had been "no engagement with the industry at all" to suggest that there was a problem in and around the University of Otago with glass.
In his nearly 10 years in the role, "at no time has anyone raised an issue with glass around the university with me whatsoever", Mr Radich said.
At the hearing yesterday morning, committee member Cr David Benson-Pope said it was "pretty gratuitous" what "Mr Supermarket" had told them the previous day.
"Because we all know how many times Keep Dunedin Beautiful and city staff have begged the operators in the campus to come on board, and they haven’t."
Cr Kevin Gilbert said "pick up a bloody newspaper".
"It’s been in the newspaper and on the media for God knows how long now."
Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) Otepoti acting spokesperson Scott Stucki said yesterday Mr Radich’s claim revealed a failure by Woolworths.
"If Woolworths has no awareness about issues with glass in the campus area then it clearly has no understanding of the vulnerabilities to alcohol-related harm which exist in Dunedin, which raises critical questions about their suitability to be a licensee."
SSDP Otepoti had "repeatedly" brought up the issue of broken bottles at a hearing for Woolworths Dunedin Central last year.
Woolworths and Mr Radich were "well aware" of the issue.
A Woolworths New Zealand spokesperson said they had nothing further to add.
During Wednesday’s public submissions, University of Otago proctor Dave Scott said glass in north Dunedin was a "perennial issue" the university and community had been working on for years.
Local off-licences had also for years, at the request of his office, worked with the Otago University Students’ Association to put in place a voluntary student-led glass ban.
The police’s suggested prohibition on the sale of alcohol in glass containers of volumes of 500ml or less, within a 1200m radius of the university, would have "an immediate effect" on glass in north Dunedin.
Committee chairman Jim O’Malley said there was sometimes "almost footpath-to-footpath glass" in Leith St, and Mr Scott said there seemed a culture among students of breaking bottles in north Dunedin.
"I hate it."
Council chief licensing inspector Tanya Morrison said she had "lost count" of complaints about broken glass.
"It’s not a good look for our city."
