To obtain an alcohol licence you must first ensure that:
- you have the correct licence for the type of premises (on, off or club) and;
- at least one person holds a managers certificate under the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012.
Check out this guide on applying for a licence to sell or supply alcohol. It's for people applying for any type of new or renewed licence and leads you through the application and hearings process under the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012.
The Sale and Supply of Alcohol (Community Participation)
Amendment Act 2023
is now in force
From 30 May 2024, there are changes to procedures for how District Licensing Committees (DLCs) consider licensing applications. These changes mean that DLC procedures must:
- avoid unnecessary formality
- not permit cross-examination, or parties to question other parties and their witnesses
- allow for tikanga Māori to be incorporated into proceedings, and
- allow evidence to be given in te reo Māori.
The Alcohol Regulatory and Licensing Authority (ARLA) and DLCs must now consider any reasonable request made by a person to take part remotely in a hearing, or any part of a hearing.
Helpful documents and links:
Object to an Alcohol Licence
Who can object to alcohol licences?
Parliament has made changes to the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012 (the Act) so that you no longer need to have a greater interest than the public generally to object to applications.
Anyone can object to an application for a licence, licence renewal, variation of licence conditions or special licence, with narrow exceptions for trade competitors and their surrogates.
There is no cost for lodging an objection.
Objecting to a licence to sell or supply alcohol: a guide to objections and hearings
Further information regarding objecting to an alcohol licence.
Types of licence
To sell or supply alcohol either as a business, club, or at a special event, you must apply for the appropriate licence.
There are four types of licence:
- On Licence (pub, restaurant, cafe, bar)
- Off Licence (bottle store, supermarket)
- Club Licence (sports club, RSA, working men's club)
- Special Licence (events and functions)
An on-licence, off-licence, or club licence is granted initially for one year and then can be renewed every three years. Special licences are granted per event or for a series of events.
A separate application must be submitted for each type of licence, along with a non-refundable fee and requirements for specific additional documentation. If you are taking over an existing licensed premises that already has a licence you will need to apply for a temporary authority to cover you while you're waiting for your new licence to be issued.
On, off, and club licences are also subject to an annual fee on their anniversary.
You can find alcohol licence applications here.
Timeframes when applying for a licence
Complete applications will always be processed as quickly as possible. However applicants are recommended to allow six weeks for an application to be processed to provide the maximum opportunity for an application to be granted.
While the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012 requires special licences to be filed a minimum of 20 working days prior to the event, applicants must be aware that this is an absolute minimum and does not guarantee an application will be granted within this timeframe. Particularly for large events with multiple applications, or where applications are incomplete.
An application is not considered as complete until payment has been received. Particularly if you require an invoice to be generated. Applicants must ensure that the application and payment reach us 20 working days prior to the day of the event for special licences, or 20 working days before expiry for renewals.
The Act allows 15 working days for the reporting agencies (Police and Medical Officer of Health) to report on licence applications. Then the Licensing Inspector is required to report on the application. Then the application goes to an independent body, the District Licensing Committee, for determination.
Please note that none of the days from 20 December and 15 January (and including those days) are counted as working days under the Act, so applicants must allow additional days either side of these dates.
In many cases a short timeframe is insufficient to resolve any issues that may arise as the application goes through this process.
What does an Alcohol Licence allow?
It allows the licensee to sell alcohol according to the conditions of the licence.
Conditions cover such things as:
- who alcohol can be sold to
- the hours and days alcohol can be sold
- who is allowed on the premises
- the range of food, non-alcohol and low-alcohol drinks to be provided
- provision of information about alternative transport arrangements.
It is against the law for a licensee or their staff to sell alcohol to anyone who is intoxicated, to allow a person to become intoxicated, or serve alcohol to anyone under the age of 18 years. There are heavy penalties for these offences.
