Sethi, who unsuccessfully ran for election to the council last week, proposed opening an “independent bottle store” with a focus on “boutique New Zealand wines and specialty spirits”, according to the licensing decision.
Sethi, who owns a screen printing business on the same street, argued he had not experienced the antisocial behaviour described by objectors and that a liquor store would not necessarily worsen it.
He also opposed the use of online form Jotform for public objections and claimed there had been application processing delays, inspector bias, a lack of fair access to agency reports, a late objection, and that police used misleading deprivation data and cited irrelevant legal cases.
Rahul Sethi wanted to open a new liquor store on Hinemoa St.
The committee rejected his complaints and found the applicant unsuitable to hold a licence. It also decided another liquor outlet would fail to meet the objective of the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012, which aims to minimise harm from excessive drinking.
Rotorua’s CBD has eight off-licence establishments, including supermarkets and bottle stores.
Commissioner Ana Morrison said granting the licence “would not benefit the community as a whole”.
The application received 732 community objections, including from the police and a health officer.
Dr Liz Gordon, from Communities Against Alcohol Harm, said this was the “biggest number ever” to oppose a licence, and the local community would be “relieved and delighted” at the decision.
“They have sent a clear message that they do not want more alcohol-related harm in Rotorua.”
She said local businesses told stories of “crime, accidents, public drunkenness and daily episodes of urination and defecation” in the area.
“They were unanimously of the opinion that a liquor store on Hinemoa St would make things much worse,” said Gordon.
Documents from August’s hearing highlighted some of the concerns.
Starbucks on Hinemoa St, Rotorua. Photo / Mathew Nash
Starbucks Rotorua manager Val Price detailed regular breaches of the city centre’s 24/7 alcohol ban, public urination and defecation, drug deals, and regular ambulance callouts.
Price recounted an intoxicated customer collapsing into a glass display, faeces smeared on store windows and café furniture used as a weapon in a drunken brawl.
Marcus Powell, general manager of the Digital Natives Academy, said he frequently observed antisocial behaviour in the area, including public drinking, nudity, urination, defecation, and littering of alcohol containers.
Reverend Bruce Allport, of St Luke’s Anglican Church, echoed that testimony, saying the church’s adjacent op shop had to install monitored panic buttons after thefts by intoxicated people.
St Lukes Anglican Church vicar Rev Bruce Allport. Photo / Andrew Warner
Allport told Local Democracy Reporting he was pleased about the committee’s decision, and the combination of ongoing alcohol-related harm and a liquor store would not be “a good mix”.
Senior Sergeant Samuel Parata said police evidence suggested the liquor store would worsen harm in an already high-risk, high-deprivation area.
Police data showed alcohol-related offences occur every two days within 500 metres of the site.
Parata warned the store would expose vulnerable people to greater harm and undermine the work of Māori health service providers.
Hinemoa St in Rotorua. Photo / Mathew Nash
Medical Officer of Health delegate Dawn Meertens raised concerns under multiple sections of the Act.
She claimed the applicant lacked experience, a clear business plan, adequate staff training and showed little understanding of harm minimisation or licence responsibilities.
Meertens criticised limited community consultation and the inconsistency of calling the store “boutique” while selling mainstream alcohol.
Her submission concluded the CBD has enough liquor outlets and granting the licence would undermine community wellbeing, particularly for Māori.
Approached by Local Democracy Reporting, Sethi offered no comment on the decision or whether he would appeal.
Mathew Nash is a Local Democracy Reporting journalist based at the Rotorua Daily Post. He has previously written for SunLive, been a regular contributor to RNZ and was a football reporter in the UK for eight years.
– LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.