Latest / Best of Business / Philip Gregan: New Zealand Winegrowers CEO on the Government's proposed changes to alcohol laws

Transcript

Philip Gregan: New Zealand Winegrowers CEO on the Government's proposed changes to alcohol laws · Best of Business

• 0:09
  Speaker 1: You're listening to a podcast from News Talks be follow
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: this and our wide range of podcasts now on iHeartRadio. Now.
• 0:16
  Speaker 2: The government is loosening booze regulations. The bill is being
• 0:19
  Speaker 2: introduced today that will enact a number of changes to
• 0:21
  Speaker 2: the liquor licensing regime. If it passes. Objections to liquor
• 0:25
  Speaker 2: licenses will now only be accepted from people living or
• 0:28
  Speaker 2: working in the same area as the licensee. License applicants
• 0:31
  Speaker 2: will have a right to reply to the objections and
• 0:34
  Speaker 2: hairdresses yay, we'll be able to serve a limited amount
• 0:36
  Speaker 2: of alcohol to clients. Philip Gregan is the New Zealand
• 0:39
  Speaker 2: Wine Growers CEO and is with us afternoon.
• 0:41
  Speaker 3: Philip, Good afternoon, Heather. You like this, yeah, Looker. In
• 0:46
  Speaker 3: general sense, I think it's common sense that there has
• 0:50
  Speaker 3: to be rules and regulations now guard rails around sale
• 0:53
  Speaker 3: of alcohol. We understand that, but some of the rules
• 0:56
  Speaker 3: and regulations that were there it didn't seem to make
• 0:59
  Speaker 3: a lot of sense, frankly, and it's good to see
• 1:01
  Speaker 3: proposals for change.
• 1:03
  Speaker 2: How is it that wineries are affected by the rules
• 1:05
  Speaker 2: or the new rules.
• 1:07
  Speaker 3: Well, imagine you're a winery in let's say, why, Wrapper
• 1:12
  Speaker 3: or Nelson, you go to renew your license, somebody in
• 1:16
  Speaker 3: the cargo or tower on could object Under the existing law,
• 1:20
  Speaker 3: they could object and you would have no right of
• 1:22
  Speaker 3: reply to their objection to your licensing. When that doesn't
• 1:26
  Speaker 3: seem fair to me?
• 1:27
  Speaker 2: No, not at all. Did that actually happen to wineries?
• 1:29
  Speaker 2: Because winery seem to me to be the least offensive
• 1:31
  Speaker 2: thing out there.
• 1:33
  Speaker 3: Look, it has happened to license holders, absolutely, there's no
• 1:39
  Speaker 3: doubt about it.
• 1:40
  Speaker 2: Has it happened to you?
• 1:42
  Speaker 3: No? No, I don't have a license fair enough?
• 1:45
  Speaker 2: What about the zero alcohol thing? Because I'm told that
• 1:47
  Speaker 2: you guys have to, as a result of the current laws,
• 1:50
  Speaker 2: hold zero alcohol somewhere on the premises. Is that right?
• 1:54
  Speaker 3: Well, yes, there's a requirement to have zero or low
• 1:59
  Speaker 3: alcohol products available. And what are some of our wineries found?
• 2:03
  Speaker 3: And you may find this unbelievable, but by having zero
• 2:07
  Speaker 3: alcohol products, they didn't count as low alcohol products. This legislation,
• 2:13
  Speaker 3: as we understand it, cleans up that particular mess and
• 2:18
  Speaker 3: we can all get on with being normal adults.
• 2:20
  Speaker 2: Well, so the zero so if you had a zero
• 2:22
  Speaker 2: beer or a zero wine, it would count. What are
• 2:25
  Speaker 2: the software soft drink department as opposed to in the
• 2:29
  Speaker 2: lower alcohol department.
• 2:30
  Speaker 3: Yes, which was less than two point five percent. And frankly,
• 2:35
  Speaker 3: I'm not sure that there are any wines less than
• 2:37
  Speaker 3: two point five percent. They tend to be slightly higher
• 2:40
  Speaker 3: than that or zero. So look, this is just another
• 2:44
  Speaker 3: common sense change.
• 2:46
  Speaker 2: Yeah, it does sound like it's a bit nutty. Hey,
• 2:48
  Speaker 2: is there anything else though in there that you thought
• 2:50
  Speaker 2: could have done that instead as well?
• 2:54
  Speaker 3: Look, we actually haven't. I haven't read the proposed piece
• 2:57
  Speaker 3: of legislation yet. I understand it's coming out this afternoon.
• 3:00
  Speaker 3: I haven't gone through it. Look, there's always things in
• 3:05
  Speaker 3: alcohol legislation. I think, well, perhaps we could change that,
• 3:08
  Speaker 3: but they seem to have come up with a reasonable
• 3:11
  Speaker 3: menu of changes at the stage, and let's take one
• 3:15
  Speaker 3: step forward and see and see if we can get
• 3:17
  Speaker 3: these through to parliament.
• 3:18
  Speaker 2: All right, Hey, thank you very much, Philip, appreciate. It's
• 3:20
  Speaker 2: Philip Gregan, New Zealand Wine Growers CEO.
• 3:23
  Speaker 1: For more from News Talk sed B, listen live on
• 3:26
  Speaker 1: air or online, and keep our shows with you wherever
• 3:29
  Speaker 1: you go with our podcasts on iHeartRadio.