Liquor Licences

What is a liquor licence?

Sale of alcohol to the public requires the seller to have a liquor licence. There are four types of licence:

• On-licence (e.g. pub, restaurant, cafe, bar)

• Off-licence (e.g. bottle store, supermarket)

• Club licence (e.g. sports club, RSA, working men's club)

• Special licence (e.g. for a food and wine festival, wedding in a council hall etc.).

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.

What does a liquor 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.

Who decides whether a licence will be granted?

It depends partly on the physical location, which is dependent on the District Plan for the area concerned. Because of this, an applicant will need to get consent from the local council. The Sale of Liquor Act does not cover this.

If the District Plan allows for a licensee to operate in a particular location, the would-be licensee must then apply for a licence. The application is made to the District Licensing Agency (DLA) of the local city or district council.

If there is no opposition, the DLA makes the decision. In the case of an objection to the licence, the application is forwarded to the Liquor Licensing Authority in Wellington, who will investigate and make a decision.
 

LINKS

If you're working in the alcohol industry as a licensee, manager or bar staff, we have plenty of useful resources as well as general information you may find handy.

In addition there is an e-mail discussion group specifically for those within the alcohol industry. Sign up for it here.