Liquor licensing summer processing deadlines
Planning an event over the holiday period? Make sure you allow enough time for your liquor licence application to be processed.
Key deadlines
Events between 19 December and 12 February
Applications must be submitted by 21 November. This ensures there is enough time for assessment, approval, and licence issue before 19 December.
Late applications
Applications received after the deadline are unlikely to be accepted. Events such as Christmas, New Year's Eve, and Waitangi Day are considered foreseeable events and applications are expected to be lodged well in advance.
Events on 13 February
Applications must be submitted by 16 January. However, we strongly recommend applying before 19 December to avoid delays caused by the statutory non-working day period from 20 December to 15 January.
Waitangi Day events (6 February)
All Special Licence applications for Waitangi Day must be received by 21 November. The statutory non-working day period from 20 December to 15 January is excluded from processing timeframes, leaving insufficient time for later applications.
Apply early
The holiday season is our busiest period for liquor licence processing. Applying early helps avoid delays and reduces the risk of missing out on approval before your event.
To sell or supply alcohol, either as a business, club or at a special event, you must apply for the appropriate alcohol license.
There are four types of license
- On-license – for sale and consumption of alcohol on the premises, eg hotels, taverns, night clubs, restaurants
- Off-license – for sale for consumption off the premises, eg bottle shops, supermarkets, grocery stores
- Club license – for sale and consumption of alcohol on club premises to members of the club, their guests and members of affiliated clubs
- Special license – for sale at specific occasions or events
A license is issued to a named person, company or legal entity in relation to a premises or conveyance. Conveyances are vehicles such as aircraft, vessels, trains etc. A license cannot be transferred from one person to another, or from one premises or conveyance to another.
Contact us if you plan on selling or supplying alcohol to the public, as you will need to consider planning and building issues and any other rules specific to your area. You will also need to talk to us about any requirements for kitchen, bar and toilet facilities.
Getting your alcohol license
When alcohol is being sold there is a requirement that a manager is appointed to manage the conduct of the sale of alcohol. Managers must hold a manager’s certificate issued by a District Licensing Committee.
If you wish to apply for a license, download the appropriate application form and post it into us. If you want to see pending alcohol licensing decisions, visit the Alcohol Licensing Applications page. For a list of alcohol licensing decisions made by the District Licensing Committee, visit the Alcohol Licensing Decisions page.
Licenses and manager's certificates are issued for an initial period of 12 months and then renewed for three years. While there is no obligation to do so, we will send out renewal application forms approximately two months before the license or certificate is due to expire. However it is the licensee’s responsibility to ensure that an application for renewal is made before the license is due to expire. We cannot accept applications for renewal after the license has expired.
When businesses are sold, the new owner must apply for a temporary authority to allow them to continue trading under the terms of the existing license while they apply for their own license.