The Trusts are a group of two community-owned organisations ( licensing trusts) with a near monopoly on the sale of alcohol in West Auckland. They are one of the largest alcohol retailers in New Zealand. The Portage Licensing Trust covers the areas bordered by

New Lynn New Lynn is a residential suburb in West Auckland, New Zealand, located 10 kilometres to the southwest of the Auckland city centre. The suburb is located along the Whau River, one of the narrowest points of the North Island, and was the locatio ...

, Waikumete Cemetery, Glen Eden and Titirangi. The Waitākere Licensing Trust covers the communities around

Glendene Glendene is a suburb of West Auckland, in New Zealand. It is under the local governance of the Auckland Council. Glendene is a mainly residential suburb with the north-eastern portion devoted to light industry. History Glendene is named afte ...

Piha Piha is a coastal settlement in West Auckland, on the western coast of the Auckland Region in New Zealand. It is one of the most popular beaches in the area and a major day-trip destination for Aucklanders throughout the year, and especially ...

Henderson Henderson may refer to: People *Henderson (surname), description of the surname, and a list of people with the surname *Clan Henderson, a Scottish clan Places Argentina *Henderson, Buenos Aires Australia *Henderson, Western Australia Canada *He ...

, Te Atatu and Kumeu. The Trusts operate all

hotels A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a ref ...

, taverns and off-licenses in their districts. They operate 18 liquor stores under the own West Liquor brand, four store under the Village Wine & Spirits brand, and three stores as

LiquorLand LiquorLand (sometimes referred to as Liquorland) and Henry's Beer, Wine & Spirits (sometimes shortened to Henry's) are franchises of independently owned bottle shops around New Zealand, operated by Foodstuffs. The stores sell a range of beer, w ...

franchises. The WestLiquor online shop provides click-and-collect and delivery. The only other businesses permitted to sell alcohol are liquor stores that operated in the area before 1972, or businesses that make alcohol such as

wineries A winery is a building or property that produces wine, or a business involved in the production of wine, such as a wine company. Some wine companies own many wineries. Besides wine making equipment, larger wineries may also feature warehouses, b ...

and

breweries A brewery or brewing company is a business that makes and sells beer. The place at which beer is commercially made is either called a brewery or a beerhouse, where distinct sets of brewing equipment are called plant. The commercial brewing of bee ...

. Trustees are elected through local body elections, and surplus profits are returned to the community through grants, rebates, sponsorships and community initiatives. The monopoly of The Trusts can only be removed if a privately organised petition signed by at least 15% of all eligible voters forces a referendum, and at least 50% of all eligible voters on polling day.

History

The Trusts were established in 1972 as a community-led initiative to control the sale of alcohol.

The Trusts Stadium The Trusts Arena is an indoor arena located in Henderson, Auckland, New Zealand. It is a multi-purpose stadium that primarily holds sports events and music concerts. The Arena was opened by then Prime Minister of New Zealand Helen Clark on 11 ...

, one of The Trust's most significant investments. opened in September 2004. It cost $28 million to complete but opened debt-free, with The Trusts providing $5 million. The stadium attracts hundreds of thousands of people every year, hosting a range of events, including concerts, sporting events and community gatherings. Between July 2010 and June 2013, The Trusts invested $30.7 million from its gaming machines into local causes. By 2013, The Trusts were generating $100 million a year in sales and employing 400 people. In 2021, The Trusts reached an agreement with

Foodstuffs Food is any substance consumed by an organism for nutritional support. Food is usually of plant, animal, or fungal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals. The substance is ingest ...

to operate a new

franchise and convert some of its existing West Liquor stores to LiquorLand franchisees. In October 2021, an action group opposed to The Trusts said it almost had enough signatures to force a vote in the Waitākere Licensing Trust area. The group claimed The Trusts' monopoly was stopping bars and restaurants from establishing in on the

Te Atatū Peninsula Te Atatū Peninsula (formerly Te Atatu North) is a waterfront suburb of West Auckland surrounded by the Waitematā Harbour. The area was home to brickworks and farmland until the Northwestern Motorway was constructed in the 1950s, after which Te ...

. The Trusts was the first New Zealand business to boycott Russian products in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. On 1 March 2022, it removed all Russian vodkas and beers from shelves, putting Ukrainian flags in their space.

introduced a similar policy in all other

stores three days later.

Trustees

The most recent election for trustees took place in

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...

, wherein the following trustees were returned:

Portage Licensing Trust (2022-2025)

Waitākere Licensing Trust (2022-2025)

References

External links

Official website
{{Supermarkets in New Zealand Alcohol distribution retailers in New Zealand Retail companies established in 1972 Alcohol in New Zealand Community organizations Organisations based in Auckland