Alcohol Licensing

The Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012.

The Object of the Act being that:

the sale, supply and consumption of alcohol should be undertaken safely and responsibly; and

the harm caused by the excessive or inappropriate consumption of alcohol should be minimised.

Contact the Team

If you would like some help or advice, we would love to hear from you.

Please email us all at - licensing@hurunui.govt.nz

If you would like to see any of the team, please call for an appointment.

Licensing - 03 314 8816

Fees

Every application for a new or renewal licence must be accompanied by the prescribed fee.

Every application for a new or renewal manager's certificate must be accompanied by the prescribed fee.

Application fees are NOT refundable.

Application fees

Sale and Supply of Alcohol (Fees) Regulations 2013

Hours / Days

Christmas Trading Hours: With Christmas fast approaching and being the season for events, please bare in mind.

A minimum of 20 working days is required to process a Special licence.

You will need to lodge and pay for your application before 21 November to help ensure your licence is ready for issue prior to Christmas.

If you require a Special licence for early 2025, please note that between 20 December and 15 January there is only one ‘working day’ during this period. This means that Special Licenses for events up until 14 February 2025 will be affected.

Working Days means a day that is not-

A Saturday, A Sunday, Waitangi Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Anzac Day, the Sovereign's Birthday, or Labour Day; or
A day in the period commencing on 20 December in one year and ending with 15 January in the next year.

No licensing processes will be actioned on these days.

Permitted Trading Hours:

The trading hours permitted for any licensed premises are the applicable maximum trading hours stated for the premises in the Local Alcohol Policy.

Restrictions to permitted trading hours:

All licences

The holder of a licence must ensure that no alcohol is sold or supplied on the premises outside the permitted trading hours.

On licences

The holder of an On-licence must ensure that no alcohol is sold or supplied on the on the premises on Good Friday, Easter Sunday, or Christmas Day, or before 1pm on Anzac Day unless -

the licence holder holds a special licence for the premises
it is to people residing on the premises (Resides or lodges in the building which the premises are situated as a guest, lodger, tenant or employee of the licensee.)
it is to people on the premises to dine (Dining is not more than an hour before due to start eating and not more than an hour after finishing a meal. A meal usually involves a knife and fork, not a snack food and is the purpose of being present on the premises.)

Off licences

The holder of an Off licence must ensure that no alcohol is sold on or delivered from the premises on Good Friday, or Christmas Day, or before 1pm on Anzac Day, and

No alcohol is sold on or delivered from the premises at any time on Easter Sunday unless it is grape wine or fruit or vegetable wine made-

on the premises; or
from produce harvested from land on which the premises are situated.

Remote Sales

A remote sale of alcohol may be made at any time on any day, but is restricted to delivery times imposed, as above.

Application Types

Local Alcohol Policy (LAP)

The Hurunui District has a LAP which came into force on 1 December 2017, 3 months after the first public notification in a newspaper. The LAP amends the National maximum trading hours allowed for licensed premises in the Hurunui District.

LAP

LAP, valid from Friday March 1, 2024

Objections

A person may object to the grant of a licence only if he or she has a greater interest in the application for it than the public generally. You would be considered to have a greater interest if you lived close to the proposed premises, operated a business or organisation close to the premises, or had some other close connection with the proposed premises.

An objection must be in writing and be received by the District Licensing Committee (DLC) within 15 working days after the first publication of the public notice. Public Notices of alcohol licence applications are listed in the Public Notices section. A notice is also displayed on the premises or website.

Please click on our Objection Letter Template to assist you further.

An objection can only be made in relation to the matters listed in section 105 of the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012 for new licences, or section 132 and section 120 of the Act for renewals.

When considering the impact of a licence application on the amenity and good order of the locality, the committee will have regard to current and possible future noise levels, nuisance and vandalism, and the number of premises for which licences of the same kind are already held. For new applications the committee will also consider the compatibility of the purposes for which land near the premises concerned is used, and the purposes for which those premises will be used if the licence is issued.

Anonymous objections cannot be accepted as valid. We need to identify the person objecting so we can establish whether they have a greater interest than the public generally and therefore whether it is a valid objection.

A copy of any objections received are given to the applicant. Sometimes the applicant will offer to make changes to appease the objectors, such as reducing hours or changing aspects of the business. If this occurs, objectors will be contacted to see if they agree to the changes and wish to withdraw their objection, or if they wish to continue to object. If no agreement is reached and the application continues to be objected, it will go to a public hearing.

The District Licensing Committee of three members will hear the matter. The objectors and the applicants will be invited to attend and state their case, and the Committee will then deliberate and decide whether to grant or decline the application, or what conditions should be imposed on the licence.