Club licence
Before you apply
Understanding everything there is to know about alcohol licences and the application process is no easy task. We recommend checking out our guidance for new applicants and talking to our alcohol licensing team before you start an application.
Book a free meeting by calling us on 07 376 0899 or email alcohollicensing@taupo.govt.nz.
What is a club licence
A club licence allows the sale or supply of alcohol for consumption on the club premises to members of the club, their guests, and members of other clubs with reciprocal visiting rights.
- This licence is most commonly used by sports clubs and social clubs (for example, a rugby club, RSA, or working men's club).
- The key things to know with a club licence are that alcohol cannot be sold to the general public and BYO is not allowed.
Who can apply?
To apply for a club licence, your club must:
- Be incorporated (under the Incorporated Societies Act)
- Have a club charter
- Operate for the benefit of its members, not the general public.
While it is similar to an on-licence, a club licence has some specific points of difference:
- Having a club constitution/rules that outline how the club will operate, who can be a member, classes of memberships and affiliated clubs among other considerations
- Having a committee that complies with the Incorporated Societies Act requirements
- Having a membership base
- Having affiliations with other clubs and their members
- There is not always a requirement to have a duty manager on site at all times
- Clubs must only serve alcohol to authorised customers.
Special licenses for clubs
It can be tricky for clubs to know if a special licence is needed for an event, but it is usually required for an event where the general public will be be attending and the club will be selling or supplying alcohol. A common example of this is where a club hires out their club rooms but caters to the event.
A special licence may also be required if the club is planning something outside of its licence conditions, for example, operating outside of its usual licensed days or hours.
If you're planning an event and aren't sure if a special licence will be needed, we suggest contacting us at alcohollicensing@taupo.govt.nz to discuss and clarify.
Apply for a new club licence or renewal
You'll use the same application form to apply for a new or renewal of a club licence.
- A club licence is granted initially for one year
- A club licence must be renewed every three years, unless the District Licensing Committee require a shorter renewal period.
- When renewing your licence, you’ll need to show continued compliance with the law, that your club is still operating as intended and any changes to your premises or constitution.
Legal responsibilities
Each club licence has specific conditions that include:
- 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 can consume alcohol under a club licence
When you have a club licence you are only allowed to sell or supply alcohol to authorised customers, that is members, guests of members, authorised visitors and guests of authorised visitors, as described in more detail below:
1. Members
Section 60 of the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012 defines a member as a person who has:
- has expressly agreed in writing to comply with the club’s rules;
- is recognised as a member of the club by those rules.
2. Guests of members
A guest means a person who is in the club at the invitation of a current club member. The guest must be known to the member and be accompanied by the member while in the club to consume alcohol. There is no generally agreed maximum numbers of guests that can accompany a member but it is expected that clubs will implement controls on this to ensure that only genuine guests are permitted on site. Allowing people to consume alcohol in the club without proper status can have implications for licence renewals.
3. Authorised visitors
This is defined as members of other clubs which the club has an arrangement for reciprocal visiting rights. For example, a local rugby club is affiliated to a rugby club in another town. The other club can visit your club and consume alcohol as well as their guests and vice versa.
Clubs with reciprocal visiting rights should be expressly outlined in a clubs constitution or charter and generally need to be connected to clubs of a similar nature. Affiliated clubs should ideally have a form of ID that can be presented to the club confirming their affiliated status.
4. Guests of authorised visitors
Guests of authorised visitors are subject to the same rules as guests of regular members.
Host Responsibility Policy
A Host Responsibility Policy is a way of outlining the policies and processes the club will implement to control the sale and supply of alcohol in their club to minimise the impact on the local area. They are also useful for District Licensing Committees when they are making decisions on a licence application.
Learn more about developing your own host responsibility policy and download our template
Record keeping
Club licence holders are required to maintain certain records to demonstrate compliance with regulatory requirements. These need to be available for inspection at all times by the Police and Alcohol Licensing Inspectors.
Records required for club licence holders can include:
- Certified managers registered and certificates
- Acting/Temporary Manager appointments and registers
- Training records
- Incident records/logs
Record templates can be either created by the business or businesses can choose to use the templates developed by Health New Zealand.
You can request a toolkit by emailing us at alcohollicensing@taupo.govt.nz.
Signage requirements
As an alcohol licencee you are required to display signage in your club which typically includes:
- A copy of the Alcohol Licence (at the front entrance)
- Signage stating no sale to minors.
- Signage stating no sale to intoxicated persons.
- Signage showing the requirement for ID.
- Signage displaying the name of the Duty Manager.
- Signage showing available transport options.
- The host responsibility policy for the premises.
Signage templates and other useful resources you can order in hard copy and/or download for free are available on the Health New Zealand alcohol resource store website.
Licence fees
You need to pay:
- an application fee when you apply for a new licence, or renew a licence or make a change (variation) to an existing licence
- an annual fee, paid each year by the anniversary of the licence issue date.
The exact fees you pay will vary depending on your specific ‘cost/risk rating’ which is determined by a combination of factors including your type of business, opening hours and if you've had any prior enforcement issues.
Fees are set by the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012. Note an alcohol licence will only be issued after fees are fully paid. Prompt payment is essential to prevent delays in the licensing process.
