Police and Health New Zealand are opposing an application by a new Woolworths supermarket in Flaxmere for an off-licence to sell alcohol.

However, the supermarket giant has the backing of prominent anti-alcohol campaigner and Flaxmere Ward councillor Henare O’Keefe, who says supermarket shoppers need to take responsibility for what’s in their own trolleys.

General Distributors (GD) was granted consent to build the $25 million 3460sq m supermarket last year and it’s due to open in July.

In February, the company applied to the Hastings District Council for an off-licence to sell alcohol in the store.

It was opposed by the council’s licensing inspector and one member of the public, along with police and the Medical Officer of Health Dr Michael Radford.

A hearing before the District Licensing Committee is to be held on Thursday.

David Power, Hawke’s Bay Police alcohol harm prevention officer, said the application does not take into account Flaxmere is “a high deprivation community vulnerable to alcohol related harm”.

Radford said the primary reason for Health New Zealand’s opposition to granting the off-licence was the positioning of the sale of alcohol aisle.

Health New Zealand’s primary opposition to granting the off-licence is the positioning of alcohol aisle at the front of the store, but the company says it's far better than having it tucked away at the rear of the building.

The alcohol is in “Aisle 1 adjacent to self-checkout, creating a thoroughfare effect, between the main body of the premises and the points of sale and is readily accessible and creates a dwell zone effect (queuing at self-checkout alongside the alcohol aisle), leading to routine and repeated exposure for shoppers, including children”.

He said he did not allege “poor character or a lack of corporate systems” but was concerned that the application for the site was generic and not designed for a “highly vulnerable locality”.

In a Right of Reply provided to the committee before the hearing, General Distributors said the supermarket had been carefully designed for the community and its aspirations for investment and revitalisation of the town centre.

“Woolworths is incredibly proud to be part of this work.”

General Distributors disputed the positioning of the alcohol aisle, saying it was “clearly not the most direct pedestrian route for shoppers entering the store or moving between the main body of the premises and the points of sale and does not create a ‘thoroughfare’.”

They said it was in a highly visible position where staff would be close by regularly on their shifts, and it was much better than tucking it away at the rear of the shop.

They said the cost of being forced to move it would be $2.5 million to $5 million.

O’Keefe said the Woolworths would be far more than just a place to buy alcohol.

“The community has already embraced Woolworths. Our people are lining up for jobs, it will be a place where you go to shop for kai and see your friends and family working.”

He said Flaxmere desperately needed a supermarket and people needed to take responsibility for what they spent their money on.

Flaxmere ward councillor Henare O'Keefe says the suburb of Hastings desperately needs the Woolworths Flaxmere supermarket. Photo / NZME

It’s a turnaround for the councillor, well known for his anti alcohol views.

In 2019, O’Keefe opposed a successful bid by the owners of the Flaxmere Liquor store to renew their licence. He was later ordered by the court to pay the liquor store owner costs of $8000.

He said supermarkets were different from liquor stores.

“The only reason people visit liquor stores is to buy alcohol. Not so in a supermarket.”

O’Keefe said a lot of “grinding work” had gone into getting the Woolworths Flaxmere supermarket off the ground.

“I love our people, but it’s time to take personal responsibility. If you are going to partake in alcohol, do it in a way that doesn’t affect your family or your work.”

He said people needed to have patience and tolerance when it came to alcohol.

“If you see someone partaking and making trouble, tell them. Put some peer pressure on them or get them some help. It’s about looking out for each other.”

The council recently approved a master plan for Flaxmere, years in the making, including new roads, shops and a vibrant town centre.

The plan, developed by the village shopping centre’s owners, TW Property and approved by Hastings District Council, will see a new road through the town centre, linking Henderson Rd to Pam O’Keefe Ave and improved public spaces.

In June 2025, the council added additional changes to Hastings’ revised Local Alcohol Policy (LAP), including earlier closing times for off-licences and new trading hours for supermarkets and grocery stores.

It also said there would be no more bottle store licences granted to premises in Flaxmere and Camberley.

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.