Ensuring premises selling alcohol meet their licensing requirements
Alcohol Licensing Officers at Te Mana Ora | Community and Public Health monitor premises with alcohol licences and assist the local Medical Officers of Health to inquire into and report on proposed licence applications or renewals.
Medical Officers of Health report on all applications under the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012 for:
- On Licences such as pubs, restaurants, cafes, and bars;
- Off Licences including supermarkets, bottle stores and wineries;
- Club Licences such as sports clubs, RSAs, and working men’s clubs; and
- Special Licences – short term licences for particular events at normally unlicensed premises or locations, or to alter the conditions of a licence to allow for particular events.
The primary focus of these inquiries is the suitability of the applicant, including preventing alcohol-related harm and host responsibility.
Alcohol Licensing Officers collaborate with the Police and Licensing Inspectors from local councils as part of these inquiries, and when monitoring premises or running Controlled Purchase Operations. Controlled Purchase Operations (CPOs) involve visiting licensed premises and testing their procedures to ensure that:
- minors are not supplied with alcohol; and
- appropriate food is promoted and available – to meet legal requirements.
Documents
- “I feel it’s unsafe to walk”: Impacts of alcohol supply on public space in eight neighbourhoods, and residents’ input to alcohol licensing decisions (Te Whatu Ora – Health New Zealand 2022).
- Te Tiriti o Waitangi and alcohol law: How Te Tiriti o Waitangi could be given appropriate effect in alcohol law and why it is important to do so (Health Promotion Agency 2022).
Key documents for licence applications
- Host Responsibility Guide (Health NZ – Health Promotion 2024) – replaces The Bar Code.
- The Manager’s Guide: A guide to the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012 and other legislation (Health NZ – Health Promotion 2024).
On-licence venues
- Safer bars and restaurants: A guide to Crime Prevention through Environmental Design [CPTED] (Health NZ – Health Promotion 2024).
- Safer bottle stores: A guide to Crime Prevention through Environmental Design [CPTED] (Health NZ – Health Promotion 2024).
- On-licensed premises toolkit (Health NZ – Health Promotion 2024).
- National guidance on alcohol promotions: On-licensed premises (Health NZ – Health Promotion 2024).
- Drugs in bars: A guide for licensees (Health Promotion Agency and NZ Drug Foundation 2019).
Off-licence venues
- Off-licensed premises toolkit for bottle stores (Health NZ – Health Promotion 2024).
- National guidance on alcohol promotions: Off-licensed premises (Health NZ – Health Promotion 2024).
Club and special licence venues
- Alcohol Game Plan for club committees – Managing alcohol in clubs (Health NZ – Ora Health Promotion 2024).
- A guide to assist licensees of entertainment venues to apply for a special licence (Health NZ – Health Promotion 2024).
For event organisers
- Serving alcohol safely at workplace events (Health New Zealand – Health Promotion 2024).
- Guidelines for Managing Alcohol at Large Events (Health NZ – Health Promotion 2024).
- Guidelines for Patron Welfare at Large Events (Te Whatu Ora Health Promotion 2023).
- Good Vibes: Your guide to alcohol-free events (Health Promotion Agency and ZEAL 2017).
Links
- Host Responsibility Guide (Amohia Te Waiora – formerly Alcohol.org.nz).
- New Zealand alcohol laws (Amohia Te Waiora – formerly Alcohol.org.nz).
Contact your local office for further information:
CANTERBURY, MID CANTERBURY AND CHATHAM ISLANDS
Ph: +64 3 364 1777
SOUTH CANTERBURY
Ph: +64 3 687 2600
WEST COAST
Ph: +64 3 768 1160
Have your say on alcohol in your community
There are many ways you can have your voice heard on alcohol in your community. You might have a specific concern or there might be an opportunity to take action.
- Find out how you can take action on alcohol in your community, such as complaining about an alcohol advertisement or influencing your local alcohol policy.
- Have your say about alcohol in your community: A guide to making a submission to your local council (Health NZ – Health Promotion 2024).
Find out about alcohol license applications on your local Council website:
- Ashburton District Council.
- Buller District Council.
- Christchurch City Council.
- Grey District Council.
- Hurunui District Council.
- Selwyn District Council.
- Timaru District Council – including Mackenzie and Waimate District Councils.
- Waimakariri District Council.
- Waitaki District Council.
- Westland District Council.
Training is available for sellers and servers of alcohol
The Alcohol Licensing Officers at Te Mana Ora | Community and Public Health support Licensed Controller Qualification training – a requirement for a Duty Manager’s Certificate.
Online training for sellers and servers of alcohol is available through ServeWise. ServeWise is a free national e-Learning tool for both on- and off-licensed premises. The modules focus on intoxication, minors, server intervention and host responsibility.
The training programme takes a total of an hour to complete.
