West Aucklanders, fed up with alcohol purchasing restrictions, campaign for 'fairness'
In West Auckland, you can't buy beer or wine in supermarkets, and there are a limited number of liquor outlets and taverns because of restrictions put in place by two licensing trusts. But a local group is calling for an overhaul on the area's alcohol rules. A petition that aims to force a referendum on whether to maintain the current liquor monopoly or to introduce competition is gaining traction in the area. More than 22,000 people have signed it so far. The petition needs 28,000 and has just over two weeks to do so. Advocate and petition organiser Nick Smale says it's about relative fairness, with people in other cities or suburbs getting a better deal. "It's the relativity, not the absolute that's important," he told. "It's because it's two or three bucks cheaper down the road that's important. "If the price of wine, if a bottle of alcohol went up $3 everywhere I don't think we'd have any complaints ... It's the fact that in West Auckland [it] costs a little bit more and so all of the people in West Auckland are a little bit frustrated." Reasons for signing the petition have been "wide and varied", Mr Smale said. "I think we see what we get in other suburbs, other parts of Auckland, other parts of New Zealand and it's better. The pubs are better, there are more of them, there are nicer places to go out, different types of places to go out for a meal and a drink, and in West Auckland there is a real dearth of nice places to go out for a drink." Money from the trusts go into community projects, as does money from the Invercargill Licensing Trust, where alcohol is also not sold in the Southland city's supermarkets.
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Poll: If we want to reduce speeding, what do you think actually changes driver behaviour? 🛻🚨🚓
In the Post's article on speeding penalties, the question is asked whether speeding fines are truly about road safety, or are they just a way to boost revenue for the Crown?
What do you think? Should speeding motorists receive speeding fines or demerit points?
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36.3% The sting of a fine (Money talks!)
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63.7% The threat of demerit points (Nobody wants to lose their license!)
Scam Alert: Bank cold calls
ASB is warning customers about reports of cold calls from scammers claiming to be from ASB. These scammers are trying to obtain personal information, including usernames, dates of birth, and verification codes sent to your mobile phone.
🛡️ The "Caller Check" Test
If you get a call from someone claiming to be from ASB and you’re unsure, just ask them for a Caller Check. You will then be able to verify the call through the app.
Remember, banks will:
❌ Never ask for your banking passwords, PINs, or verification codes
❌ Never need to know your full credit card number – especially the CVC
❌ Never ask you to download software or remotely access your device
❌ Never ask you to purchase gift cards or transfer funds.
If you have received a phone call and think your account has been compromised, call ASB on 0800 ASB FRAUD (0800 272 372), or visit your local branch.
Some Choice News!
DOC is rolling out a new tool to help figure out what to tackle first when it comes to protecting our threatened species and the things putting them at risk.
Why does this matter? As Nikki Macdonald from The Post points out, we’re a country with around 4,400 threatened species. With limited time and funding, conservation has always meant making tough calls about what gets attention first.
For the first time, DOC has put real numbers around what it would take to do everything needed to properly safeguard our unique natural environment. The new BioInvest tool shows the scale of the challenge: 310,177 actions across 28,007 sites.
Now that we can see the full picture, it brings the big question into focus: how much do we, as Kiwis, truly value protecting nature — and what are we prepared to invest to make it happen?
We hope this brings a smile!
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