CHOP THE LIQUOR SHOP - CAYAD MURUPARA

“We ran drug and alcohol-free activities for our youth and whanau - it was normal; there was no evidence of negative activity up town or around the hall. Having this liquor shop in town will undo all of our hard work.”

Murupara is a town located in the isolated part of the Bay of Plenty region between the Kaingaroa Forest and Te Urewera National Park, on the banks of the Rangitaiki River, 65 Kilometres southeast of Rotorua, along SH 38. Its population is 1,680 (2020). After 30 years of economic and social decline, Murupara bears the scars of a community left desolate by governments struggling to keep up with the increasing demands of meeting basic human rights, and of whānau living below the poverty line.

Notices for an application for a new off-licence liquor store in Murupara’s town centre went unnoticed - no one knew what was going on and objection timelines were missed, but, the application would galvanise Murupara residents and set the tone for a small community prepared to stand up and fight back. As Te Kaari Yancey, Chairperson of Murupara Educare and member of Murupara Area School Board of Trustees, stated

“Murupara does not need another liquor outlet! We have enough social issues to deal with and hardly (need) another extra liquor outlet in our small community.”

Ellen May Slade, an award-winning youth worker on the Murupara Youth Leadership Projects Team, talks of the success of their recent programme of drug and alcohol-free activities for young people in Murapara:

“We ran drug and alcohol-free activities for our youth and whanau - it was normal; there was no evidence of negative activity up town or around the hall. Having this liquor shop in town will undo all of our hard work.”

When local Carloyn Meihana, manager of the Murupara Budgeting Service, found out about the application, she talked directly to licensing inspector Roger McQuilkin. He was able to convince the District Licensing Committee to extend the objection timeline by two days.

The CAYAD team at Te Ika Whenua Hauora quickly called in the Murupara Budget Advisory Service, Murupara Maaori Women’s Welfare League, Murupara Educare Early Childhood Centre, and the Murupara Youth Leadership Projects Team. Together they organised submissions, put the word out on local radio, started a petition and ran a community hui to rally key stakeholders and residents. Yvonne Rurehe, a parent, volunteered to organise a march - she says

“We don’t need another liquor store - we need a safe community, and this is why I volunteered to help out”.

CAYAD organised volunteer marshals Zane and Kata Roa, and Tetahi Akuhata. The march was guided by a chant that would invoke unity, and agreement by all that there was no need for another liquor outlet in Murupara. Jessica Carpenter walked with her newborn and pulled her children out of school so they could stand as a whanau.

“I’m marching to keep our kids and youth safe as much as we can. It means that I will be happy knowing my children are in a safe environment.”

A successful social media campaign reached over 2,000 friends and whanau locally, nationally and internationally to gather momentum to “CHOP the Liquor Shop in Murupara.” The petition against the liquor shop was signed by over 400 people in two days.

Even when faced with such overwhelming community opposition, the licensing process remained deaf to the community’s concerns. What the people of the town wanted is not one of the criteria for objecting to a license. The passionate, caring and engaged people of Murupara were angered, disheartened, and confused by a system that does not take real community issues to heart - let alone to ear.

Fortunately, concerns raised about another outlet owned by the applicants ultimately led them to withdraw their application. Carolyn Meihana was one of the many who expressed relief:

“I was relieved it never made it. My concern was serving to under-agers. Also, it wouldn’t be managed properly with an experienced skilled bar manager. It would bring more crime, and they would be drinking by our work.”

Small towns face the same plight as sectors of communities in cities that are disadvantaged by inequity, poor housing, low incomes and poor health, whose residents are at the mercy of government agencies and the complexity of the licensing system. CAYAD and others in the town are working to even the playing field. Together with the Murupara Youth Council and local marae committees, they are asking the Whakatane District Council to introduce a limit of just one off-licence per town of 5000 residents. Some landlords have also come on board by prohibiting alcohol sales in their lease agreements.

Says April O Brien, a parent who volunteered in the campaign and strongly supports community action:

“I have been a longtime supporter of CAYAD mahi in Murupara. I am wanting a better Murupara for our Tamariki… Being involved with community action is an essential part of broader efforts to tackle alcohol-related harm. It also has the potential to contribute to wider positive health outcomes, through increasing social capital and the capacity within the community to tackle further health concerns. It was an honour to be part of the team.”

Memorie Jenner, Te Ika Whenua Hauora