Five licensed premises in the Tauranga, Mount Maunganui, and Pāpāmoa areas were caught selling alcohol to minors during a controlled purchase operation on Friday. The sting, conducted by the Tauranga City Council Alcohol Licensing Team and the Tauranga Police Alcohol Harm Prevention Co-ordinator, uncovered several breaches of the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act.
How did this controlled purchase operation differ from previous stings?
This operation targeted on-licence premises, where alcohol is consumed on-site, rather than the off-licence locations typically prioritized in previous exercises. Past stings have primarily focused on supermarkets, grocery stores, and bottle stores where alcohol is purchased for immediate removal from the premises.
In this instance, the minors purchased alcohol and remained seated within the establishments. According to officials, this provided staff with an additional opportunity to assess and verify the age of the patrons.
Why did staff fail to verify the age of the minors?
Inspectors found that staff at the five premises did not take appropriate steps to request identification or confirm the age of the individuals. Staff members admitted to inspectors that they assumed the minors were over 18 years of age and legally allowed to purchase alcohol.
Tauranga City Council chief licensing inspector Sam Kemp stated that the results show “clear deficiencies” between legal obligations and the actual behavior of staff regarding age verification. Kemp noted that while it isn’t a legal requirement to verify the age of every patron appearing to be under 25, the industry should consider it good practice.
What happens next for local licensed premises?
Kemp expressed disappointment regarding the results, stating that the team expected much better compliance from these types of establishments. The failure rate of the operation was higher than anticipated.
To address these issues, the council and police team are likely to maintain their current enforcement strategy. Kemp confirmed that the team will continue to run operations to test compliance, minimize alcohol-related harm, and ensure public safety.
