Health offices wasted $ 90,000 trying to prevent supermarkets from changing their alcohol display angles

The money from public health wasted on a Supreme Court challenge against the shelf arrangement of a Supermarket for alcohol should have been spent helping sick patients, critics say.

Fourteen health boards across the country collectively paid close to $ 90,000 in legal fees to try to prevent Dannevirke New World from changing the angle of the shelves inside his D & D area. Alcohol already allowed. They lost the case.

MidCentral District Health Board's Medical Officer of Health, Rob Weir, began the process because he feared that consumers outside the alcoholic zone would be more exposed to alcoholic beverages after turning two large diagonal tablets and added two small skirting boards. The case was important as a test to help define the boundaries of the new alcohol laws, he said Stuff .

But the $ 90,000 cost of the challenge has just been revealed following a law request.

* The Supreme Court ruled that supermarkets can change the disposition of alcohol
* Visible cartons are allowed in Melody's liquor box
* Attempted crackdown on advertisements and advertising in supermarkets
* The court challenge is to impose greater restrictions on supermarkets

It was staggering to see the cost of the case when the DHB claimed to be underfunded and Desperately needed money for vital health care, New Zealand Alcohol Beverages Council executive director Nick Leggett said.

"It's a waste of public money and energy. You might think that health officers would be better off than spending $ 90,000 to sue a small business that is legally negotiating. , at the corner of the shelves, with the High Court. "I do not think the residents of Invercargill, Dunedin, Nelson, Canterbury should pay for the High Court to test this."

"

" These kinds of precedents are academic, but how many hip replacements could it have paid for, or how much of a refit? insulation.

"

Dannevirke's new owner-operator, Garry Hasler, hear what the boards of health had paid for the fighter.

"Wow – did they spend so much? I just think that there are better places where health expenses could have been spent. "

The defense of the matter had cost his business and his parent company, Foodstuffs, a lot of time stress and money, and he was pleased that this is now resolved.He is now preparing for the triennial renewal of his license, which he hopes to be simple.

Details provided by MidCentral DHB show that the initial appeal to the Regulatory and Licensing Authority cost $ 17,924, while the High Court appeal cost 69,552.

MidCentral DHB covered both costs Midcentral's fees were reimbursed to MidCentral $ 57,961

The cost had been shared by other organizations because they "considered the issues […] to be of national importance," said Deborah Davies, Director General of Public Health Operations, Public and MidCentral Community

. ] The boards of health that contributed to the funding were Southland, Canterbury, South Canterbury, West Coast, Nelson-Marlborough, Capi and Coast, Hutt Valley, Wairarapa, Hawke Bay, Tairawhiti, the Bay of 39; Abundance, the District of Lakes and Waikato.

– References