Gore District Council

Liquor Licensing

March Newsletter (PDF, 423KB)

The Council's role is to process and make decisions on applications for on, off, club, and special licences and managers’ certificates. In some cases opposed applications will be determined by the Liquor Licensing Authority.

The Council has appointed Licensing Inspectors to report on liquor applications and to monitor premises for compliance with their licence conditions.

Who to Contact

There are many variables with liquor licensing depending on the type of licence you wish to obtain, so before making an application, it is best to discuss it first with the Licensing Inspector. If the particular issue is covered by another regulatory agency then they can point you in the right direction.

Please feel free to ring or make an appointment with any of the following, phone 03 209 0330:

Gore District Licensing Agency Secretary Stephen Parry Chief Executive

Licensing Inspector Frances Cowan Email: fcowan@goredc.govt.nz

Apply for a Manager's Certificate

When liquor is being sold or supplied to the public on licensed premises, a certificate-holding manager must be on duty at all times and be responsible for compliance with the Sale of Liquor Act 1989 and the conditions of the licence.

There are two types of manager's certificates:

General Manager's certificate: authorises you to manage any licensed premises such as an on-licence, off-licence, club licence or special licence and inc.ludes conveyances such as aircraft and motor vessels. A pre-requisite to hold a general manager's certificate is that you hold the Licence Controller Qualification (LCQ).

Liquor Licence Controller Qualification 4588

Club Manager's certificate: limits you to managing premises that hold a club licence or where a special licence is in force. You are not required to hold the LCQ, however, you are required to have experience. Please note, if you work on a club premises you are only entitled to hold a club managers certificate.

If you are applying for a new manager's certificate two unit standards are required: 4646 (Sale of Liquor Amendment Act 1999) and 16705 (host responsibility).

To obtain these unit standards contact the Southern Institute of Technology.

When you have gained these unit standards, you need to request a Licence Controller Qualification (LCQ) application form from the Hospitality Standards Institute of New Zealand (HSI). Visit their website for information on how to obtain an application form: www.hsi.co.nz

The HSI are managing the distribution of the national qualification. You will also need to obtain a special student ID number, known as a hook on number, from the New Zealand Qualifications Authority. For further information, visit www.nzqa.govt.nz.

• The fee is $134.93 (inc. GST), which must be lodged at time of application and is not refundable.
• You must be working in the Gore District area to file your application with us.
• You must complete training in the Sale of Liquor Act, prior to application.
• Certificates are issued for one year initially then renewed on application, normally for three years.

Applications cannot proceed until you have obtained your Licence Controller Qualification.

If you are not currently working at a licensed premises, you should be aware that the Liquor Licensing Authority (LLA) has stated that certificates will not be granted or renewed simply to allow an individual to add the qualification to their CV for future use. If proof of working cannot be supplied, it may result in your application being opposed and forwarded to the LLA for consideration. If this is the case, you may be required to attend a public hearing to determine whether or not a certificate should be granted.

Once you have lodged your application for renewal it keeps the certificate current until a decision is made.

Special Licence

This licence is only valid for the timeframe permitted by the special licence. It can apply to a property, location or conveyance (e.g. bus or boat).

The special licence holder must control the liquor at the event and ensure statutory responsibilities are observed. This cannot be achieved if guests bring their own liquor therefore special licences do not permit BYO functions.

When is a Special Licence Needed?

A special licence is required if liquor is sold and supplied to any people attending any "particular" occasion or event or series of occasions or events. It is required at any function where:

• No on licence or club licence exists.
• The caterer does not have an endorsed off licence.
• There are non-club members present on club licensed premises.
• The function is outside the hours or area authorised on an existing on licence or club licence.

Examples of these functions inc.lude fundraisers, theatrical performances, exhibitions and other temporary bar set-ups where liquor will be sold.

We will not under any circumstance issue a special licence for a supply-of-alcohol only or BYO event.

One special licence will cover one event on one day, unless it is a series of the same event or performance on several different dates (e.g. 6 theatrical performances of the same play on 6 different dates will be covered by one special):

• You can apply 12 months in advance for these occasions/events if the event dates are known.
• The event must be held on the same premises each day.

You are not required to hold a special licence if:

• You are supplying liquor to your guests in your own private residence.
• Your guests are bringing liquor to your own private residence.
• You are hiring a hall and supplying liquor to your guests at a special event (e.g. at a wedding or 21st birthday party and only when you have permission to do so from the owner of the premises and you are not in a liquor ban area).
• You are supplying liquor to guests at an 'invitation-only' one-off event (when you have permission to do so from the owner of the premises and you are not in a liquor ban area).

Applying for a Special Licence

Special licences cannot be renewed. However, if you know the dates of future events to be held at the same venue, you can obtain a special licence for future events on the one application.

• The fee for a special licence is $64.40 (inc. GST) and is non-refundable. Please DO NOT send cash in the post! Cheques only please.
• If you do not own the premises, the owner's consent must be inc.luded with the application.
• A floor plan of the premises must be inc.luded in the application.
• The processing time for an application for a special licence is 14 working days.
• You must be 20 years or older to apply.

If you are applying for a special licence, you need to provide all the required information when you lodge the application to avoid a delay in processing.

Other Liquor Enforcement Agency Contacts
 

Other Information

There are some great information resources on the Alcohol Advisory Council of New Zealand (ALAC) website. A particularly useful resource is The Manager's Guide, Third Edition (PDF, 3.8MB)

See Liquor Application Forms