The Queenstown Lakes District Council has received a record number of objections to a liquor licence for a proposed Super Liquor outlet in Lake Hāwea.
The council confirmed it had received 538 submissions in opposition and two in support.
The small town near Wānaka has a population of about 2000 people.
Lake Hāwea Voices spokesperson Lisa Riley said the level of opposition demonstrated the strong feeling against the store.
"There's no place in Hāwea where you can purchase spirits or hard liquor - we rely on Wānaka stores for that at the moment," Riley said.
"For people living in this development struggling with their relationship with alcohol, this puts it right at their front door. This is something that they're going to see multiple times a day, whether they're out walking around in their neighbourhood or whether they're coming home from work. While lots of people have a healthy relationship with alcohol, some people don't and I think it's worthwhile asking the question of how do we look after everyone instead of just being like 'oh, well, this is convenient for me and I want it, so who cares about anyone else'?
"One of the things that people haven't taken into account is all of the holiday makers and the traffic that is going to come with the store from that and that we're going to have people coming into the community who don't necessarily have the same values as we do. And I'm worried about the ability for teenagers to be able to get alcohol very easily from obliging adults who go into that store for them. We're outside of the alcohol ban area – people are going to be able to drink outside, they're going to be able to drink at the playground. I do think it's going to raise some very big issues for the community."
Among Riley's concerns was the store's proposed proximity to a children's playground and school bus stop.
"This isn't about trying to place restrictions on anyone. No one is stopping anyone from buying alcohol. We are trying to think of what is best for everyone, especially the kids who use these spaces every single day," she said.
The company behind the application, Keyrouz Holdings Ltd, operated Super Liquor franchises in Cromwell, Alexandra, Wānaka, Remarkables Park in Queenstown, and Lorneville near Invercargill and owned Five Stags restaurant and The Gate Hotel in Cromwell.
The Gate Group chief executive Glen Christiansen said the company had no history of the kind of concerns raised by Riley.
"We are strong operators, we've got a good strong history," he said.
"We're looking forward to coming into the community. We're looking to build and grow with the community. It's a fantastic looking site. So we're also engaged in the process moving forward."
He had written a letter on behalf of the company to objectors and asked the council to pass it along.
Christiansen said two people had responded via email and he appreciated hearing their perspectives.
He was not surprised by the level of opposition
"It just seems to be as an industry as a whole now that people are speaking up regarding licences – on and off licences – across New Zealand, so it just seems to be a trend, which is good. I'm not knocking it," Christiansen said.
"I think it's a worthwhile process, absolutely."
Super Liquor chief executive Morgan McCann said he had been surprised by the level of opposition to the store.
"The franchisees applying for the Lake Hāwea licence are really reputable, long-standing franchisees who live locally in the area," McCann said.
"So we are a bit surprised at the level of opposition. We have seen opposition before but not that level from a small community like that."
The Queenstown Lakes District Council would hold hearings for the licence from October 8-10. The following day was also set down as a reserve day if needed.
The council said 51 objectors wanted to speak to their submissions at the hearing.
The 538 submissions objecting to the proposed licence was far in excess of the previously most objected application for Seek Night Club Limited, that 72 objected to.
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