Several renewals have been opposed with identical letters signed by police alcohol harm prevention officer, Sergeant Russell Glue, and delegated officer for the medical officer of health Rodney Beckett.
The Hokitika Priya Restaurant had its renewal opposed and was asked to slash its 105 licensed hours each week to just 45, mystifying owner-operator Ramesh Alla.
"I have operated Priya there for the past 20 years, no problem."
He also operates a Priya restaurant in Greymouth, employing about 10 people across both sites.
The opposition letters he received "were exactly the same".
Mr Alla was asked to go to a hearing, and he agreed.
"Next thing, the objections were dropped the very next morning.
"Our main focus is on the food, not the liquor, so I don’t know what the objection was for."
The official stance taken by police was challenged during a clash with hospitality giant Scenic Hotel Group.
Again, word-for-word letters of opposition were lodged against the inclusion of in-room mini bars at Scenic Hotel Franz Josef and Heartland Hotel Glacier Country at Fox Glacier.
Scenic Hotel Group director Lani Hagaman said she was "at a loss as to why the police and Ministry (of Health) believe the law should be administered differently on the West Coast compared with the rest of New Zealand".
Westland district licensing commissioner Murray Clearwater — who holds similar roles throughout the country — said the duplication of opposition reports on the West Coast was "troubling".
"The [Sale and Supply of Alcohol] Act is very clear on the roles of police and Ministry of Health as reporting agencies, and does not give them a mandate to file an identical report with a list of perceived deficiencies in the application", Mr Clearwater said.
"Each [agency] has their own area of expertise and responsibilities, and they should primarily inquire into and report under their own banner."
The duplicate letters of objection say: "The application remains opposed until I am satisfied that my grounds of opposition are mitigated and all the requirements of Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012 are met."
Mr Clearwater was critical of that stance, saying it was not the correct interpretation of the reporting role of the police.
"The evaluation of the application is the role of the district licensing commissioner."
After pushback from Scenic Circle, the mini-bars at the glacier hotels were allowed.
West Coast police area prevention manager Senior Sergeant Mark Kirkwood said he accepted the duplication of reports in that case was "not ideal".
Mr Kirkwood said the prevention sergeant and area prevention manager now both consider the merits of applications and reasons to oppose a licence or not.
Hospitality NZ chief executive Steve Armitage said well-run on-licensed environments were part of the solution to reducing alcohol-related harm in New Zealand.
"NZ Police and Health NZ ... play an important role and it is important that they’re constructive, and act fairly and consistently in fulfilling this role."
The identical objection letters suggested "either a lack of independent analysis or a high level of co-ordination between the agencies".
As well, allegations of bullying and gaps in basic understanding of liquor law were "consistent with concerns we’ve heard from our members", Mr Armitage said.
"Licensing agencies must operate fairly, transparently, and within the scope of their authority. If this doesn’t occur, these actions will be detrimental to the businesses involved and undermine the public’s trust in the licensing process.
"The Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012 is a highly prescriptive and regulated Act that should be adhered to by licence holders and the authorities alike.
"There is no justification for personal views or agendas to add extra compliance to a piece of legislation that works well to minimise alcohol harm across the [country]."
— Meg Fulford
