New Flaxmere supermarket granted alcohol licence despite community opposition

A new NZ$25 million Woolworths supermarket in Flaxmere has been granted a licence to sell beer and wine despite objections from police, health officials and local licensing authorities.

According to Stuff, the Hastings District Licensing Committee approved the off-licence application for the supermarket at 4 Swansea Rd, but imposed a range of strict conditions aimed at reducing alcohol-related harm in the community.

The application, lodged by General Distributors Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Woolworths, faced opposition from licensing inspector Janine Green, police, public health officials and local residents.

Green argued that Flaxmere is a high-deprivation community already experiencing significant alcohol-related harm and said expanding alcohol access could worsen existing issues, as reported by Stuff.

Police data presented to the committee showed 495 alcohol-related harm incidents were recorded in the area during the 2023–24 year, alongside 290 family harm incidents in 2024–25.

Matthew Radford also opposed the application, citing concerns for Māori and Pacific communities who experience disproportionate levels of alcohol-related harm, Stuff has reported.

Community objectors also raised concerns about the normalisation of alcohol sales in the suburb.

Despite the objections, the committee concluded the supermarket operator had strong compliance systems and experience managing alcohol sales across New Zealand, as reported by Stuff.

However, the store has been placed under strict monitoring conditions during its first year of operation.

Alcohol sales will only be permitted between 9 am and 8 pm daily, one hour earlier than initially proposed. The supermarket will also be prohibited from selling single bottles or cans of beer and cider, as well as small wine bottles under 400ml, as reported by Stuff.

Additional measures include barriers near self-checkout areas to reduce exposure to alcohol displays and mandatory warning signage about Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder.

The committee acknowledged that increasing alcohol availability in a high-deprivation area carried risks but said its role was to minimise harm rather than eliminate it completely, Stuff has reported.

The licence has been issued for a one-year probationary period, during which police and licensing inspectors will closely monitor the premises.