Further wine study

Press, 23 September 1981, Page 15

Further wine study

Parliamentary reporter Part of the sale of Liquor Amendment Bill, now before a Parliamentary Select Committee, will be withdrawn from the bill and held over for study during the parliamentary recess. The Minister of Justice (Mr McLay) has said that the provisions relating to a new type of wholesale distributor’s licence would be referred to a special working party. The other provisions of the bill, relating to the sale of imported wines by wine resellers, would still be put to the vote in the House this year. Mr McLay said it was clear from the views expressed by a fairly wide range of interested parties that there was a need for a more detailed study of the proposal for a wholesale distributor’s licence. The licence, he said, was intended to promote greater economy in the wholesale distribution of wine, in the

general interest of consumers. “The whole question of wholesale wine distribution will be referred to a working party comprising two representatives each of the Wine Institute of New Zealand and the Wine and Spirit Merchants," he said.

“In each case it is expected that at least one of the representatives will be their executive officers.

“Also on the working party will be departmental representatives of the Justice Department and the Department of Trade and Industry, and it will be chaired by Mr G. Green, of the Prime Minister's Department. “Thus the working party will have a majority of private sector members, but at thL same time will not be dominated by any one single group,” said Mr McLay. The working party would have broad terms of refer-

ence, aimed generally at achieving greater economy and lower costs in the wholesale distribution of wine, he said.