Another twist in the Super Liquor licensing process has left some Lake Hāwea residents feeling frustrated and sidelined.

Sandra McAuley said it felt like an “insult to the community” to learn this week that the hearing will now be taking place in Wānaka rather than Hāwea, as originally planned.

The proposal attracted more than 500 objections from people who say another bottle store is not what the small community needs.

Given the importance of the topic to the community, the hearing should be held in Lake Hāwea, Sandra said.

“It's going to disadvantage the community in terms of access and being able to participate,” she said. 

“I've already talked to a number of people who say ‘I'm just not going to be able to make it’.”

She said scheduling changes and commissioner conflicts had left the community unfairly disadvantaged. They “should have been sorted out much earlier”, she said.

The hearing was originally due to take place at the Lake Hāwea Community Centre in early October but a conflict of interest was identified with one commissioner and a scheduling conflict with another, after which the hearing was postponed.

Lake Hāwea Voices spokesperson Lisa Riley was also frustrated by the changes and she said the new Lake Wānaka Centre location and November 12-14 dates are disappointing.

The group has advocated for community participation in the hearing process and she said this will make it harder for the community to attend.

“Moving it to Wānaka makes it much harder for local residents to take part in person. We all lead busy lives, and not everyone is in a position to make a 40-minute round trip each day,” she said.

Lisa encouraged Hāwea residents to join via video link if they can and she said she has asked QLDC to consider setting up a local viewing hub in Hāwea so residents can still follow proceedings.

“I’d encourage people, no matter where they stand on the issue, to attend or tune in,” Lisa said. 

“There will be some eye-opening evidence presented, and it’s vital that our community stays informed and engaged.”

A QLDC spokesperson said the hearing had been moved to Wānaka because there were no suitable venues available in Hāwea to hold the hearing prior to Christmas.

The proposed Super Liquor, which would operate 12 hours a day, seven days a week in the new Longview subdivision, has also attracted national attention, including comments from Waitaki MP Miles Anderson and ACT List MP Todd Stephenson.

Read more: Debate continues around Hāwea liquor licence

IMAGE: Supplied