Work Underway To Strengthen Auckland's Local Alcohol PolicyWork is already underway to identify ways to strengthen Auckland’s alcohol rules ahead of a review, including where bottle shops can open in the future. Auckland Council’s Local Alcohol Policy (LAP) has been in place for two years, and is due for a review in the next four years. A recent report on the policy found there had been a decrease in alcohol related-harm incidents since the tougher rules - including reduced off-licence hours - were introduced. Auckland Council senior policy manager Ben Brooks said his team had already started identifying areas to improve the policy, including where off-licence applications were restricted in the future. He said because the policy was held up in court for years, some of the elements of the Unitary Plan had changed when it came into effect.