Special alcohol licence

Before you apply

Understanding everything there is to know about alcohol licences and the application process is no easy task. We recommend 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 special licence

A special licence allows the sale or supply of alcohol at a one-off event or series of events.

This licence is most commonly used at a private function, market, concert, show, festival, sports event, wine tasting or ticketed event.
There are two types of special licence: 'on-site' for consumption at the event/premises, and 'off-site' for consumption away from the event/premises (see the section below for more details).
A key thing to know is that when you apply for a special licence you will need to estimate how many people will go to the event (see event size below)
Each special licence is placed into one of three classes - based on your event size and the number of events - which dictates what information you'll need to provide with your application and the licence fee you'll pay.

Types of special licence

There are two types of special licence:

On-site special licence: For sale or supply of alcohol to be consumed at the event, e.g. private function or concert.
Off-site special licence: For sale or supply of alcohol to be consumed away from the event e.g. garden show, farmers market.

If customers will drink alcohol at the event and also buy alcohol to take away you would need to specify this on the application form.

*Note that off-site special licences can only be issued to applicants who are manufacturers, distributers, importers or wholesalers of alcohol. They can also not be issued to premises classed as conveyances (see Section 42 of the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012).

Event size

When you apply for a special licence, you need to specify the expected number of people going to the event. You should be satisfied on reasonable grounds the projected numbers are realistic.

Small events: Where the applicant believes there will be fewer than 100 people at the event.
Medium events: Where the applicant believes that there will be between 100 and 400 people at the event.
Large events: Where the applicant believes that there will be more than 400 people at the event.

Special licence classifications

Based on your event size and the number of events, special licences are placed into one of three classes which affects the fee required as well as what needs to be provided to comply.

Class 3: Where there are 1-2 events classified as small events.
Class 2: Where there are 3 -12 small events OR 1 - 3 medium events.
Class 1: Where there is 1 large event OR more than 3 medium events OR more than 12 small events.

Application timeframes

For most special licences, an application must be made at least 20 working days before the event. This is because your application is reported to the NZ Police and a Medical Officer of Health representative who need at least 15 working days to comment on the application.

Apply as soon as possible

As a general rule it is advisable to apply for a special licence as soon as possible, even if it is well in advance of any event taking place. An application for a special licence can be opposed by reporting agencies and this can create significant delays to the licence process.

For large events, apply up to four months in advance

For particularly large events you should apply up to four months before your planned event to ensure any matters raised have enough time to be resolved. This is particularly important if your event will be taking place over the peak events season between October and March.

Applying with less than 20 working days’ notice

If you apply for a special licence less than 20 working days before your event, you can request the District Licensing Committee permit the application to be received, but you must state what unforeseen circumstances prevented the application being lodged earlier.

Permission to receive the report must also be obtained from the Police and Medical Officer of Health. There is a chance that your application will be rejected if the parties cannot report earlier or if there is no compelling reason for the late application.

Requests for consideration of late special licence applications can be made to the DLC Secretary at alcohollicensing@taupo.govt.nz.

Apply for a special licence

Special licences are granted per event or for a series of events
There is no renewal process for a special licence

Start application

Documentation required

Documentation required for all events

The documentation required when making a special licence application is different to other licence types. See the drop-down sections below for details of the documentation that you need to provide with an application.

Event details

Details of the event including:

Exact licenced dates, times and locations (where alcohol will be sold)
The number of attendees and their age distribution

Detailed site plan

Site plans can range from simple to detailed depending on the event. As a general rule you will need to show the following:

The proposed licence area and any supervised or restricted areas
The principal entrance, service areas/bar areas
The location and number of bathrooms and toilets
Any other relevant site info, for example lighting, security and medical areas.

Your site plan can be as simple as a hand drawn map for small events, but for larger events it will need to be more detailed.

Consent from building owner

Duty Manager details

All special licenced events will need to have at least one certificated duty manager in attendance for all licenced hours at the event. For larger events, particularly those with multiple points of sale it is recommended that multiple duty managers are employed.

Event organisers will need to ensure that one duty manager is ultimately responsible for compliance with the alcohol licence regardless of how many duty managers are present. It is important that this person has the required skill and experience to oversee these kinds of events.

In your application, you will need to provide details of any duty managers you intend to have at the event including:

Their names
Managers Certificate details
Dates of birth

Convictions relevant to applicant

When applying for an alcohol licence applicants are vetted by the New Zealand Police to ensure the applicant is a suitable entity to hold an alcohol licence.

It's important to remember the applicant isn't just the person submitting the application, but rather all controlling parties to the application. This means that anyone with a controlling interest in the application must declare relevant convictions in the application and this may include:

All directors and shareholders (>20% of shares) in a company
All partners in a partnership (and directors if a limited partnership)
All trustees with management oversight of the premises
Owners associated with a body corporate
Club committee members

Applicants must provide this information as part of the application process and it is important that applicants are truthful in making these declarations. Failing to declare relevant convictions can have significant implications on the application and may result in the refusal of the licence or a rehearing of the application if it becomes known that convictions were not disclosed.

What do you need to declare?

Applicants (and associated parties) need to declare ANY conviction they have, however there are exceptions to this:

The first exception is that you don’t need to disclose convictions against the Land Transport Act 1998 other than offences contained in Part 6. This means that you won’t need to declare things like parking tickets, but you will need to declare any convictions related to things like excess breath alcohol, driving under the influence (alcohol or drugs), refusing samples or serious incidents such as causing injury or death while driving (among others).

The second exception is that you don’t need to declare convictions to which the Criminal Records (Clean Slate) Act 2004 applies. For more information on the Clean Slate Scheme see the Ministry of Justice website.

Effect of convictions on applications

Just having a conviction does not automatically mean that the applicant can’t hold an alcohol licence. The District Licensing Committee have to weigh up the implications of the conviction based on the nature and seriousness of offending. If you aren’t sure if a conviction should be declared we suggest getting in touch with the DLC secretary at alcohollicensing@taupo.govt.nz

Menu or food options

Other information

Noise management

All special licences must manage their impact on the amenity and good order of the location in which they are based and this includes noise management. Event organisers, especially large event organisers, need to consider how they will manage noise from their event. In some cases, venues will have consents in place that specify permitted noise levels and applicants will need to understand these and demonstrate that they can comply with the consent conditions.

In other locations there may be no noise provisions specified. In these places applicants have the duty to avoid unreasonable noise. If the event attracts large numbers of noise complaints applicants may be required to reduce noise levels to a reasonable level. Failure to take all reasonable steps to manage noise can result in objections to future applications.

Amenity and good order

Like all alcohol licences, applicants need to manage the amenity and good order of the locality.

For more info see the Health New Zealand alcohol licensing infosheet: amenity and good order

Additional documentation required for large events

Additional documentation is required for large events due to the risks posed by alcohol consumption.

Host Responsibility Policy

Special licences are subject to many of the same host responsibility requirements as on-licences. A copy of a host responsibility policy may be requested as part of the application process.

Learn how to develop your own host responsibility policy and download our template

Alcohol management plans

An alcohol management plan details the procedures you will have in place to deal with the responsible service and management of alcohol at your event, to meet the obligations of the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012. Your plan will need to be submitted with your application for a special licence so you should start a plan as soon as possible.

Failing to properly consider alcohol management at large events can result in agencies opposing your application. You should ensure plans are developed to a high standard and relevant risks are identified and managed to avoid delays to the licensing process.

For further advice, guidance and recommendations:

Promo material and entry tickets

Food vendors

You may be asked to provide a list of food vendors registration details (especially if using council venues)

Special licences and public notices

Applications for special licences are not typically publicly notified, however the District Licensing Committee (DLC) secretary may require the public notification of the event if it is in the public interest. If notified the public will be able to object to the special licence application on any of the criteria specified in section 142 of the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012.

As a general rule we recommend special licence applicants liaise with potentially affected parties and understand the community within which the event is to take place. Events that attract large numbers of complaints or fail to take consideration of their impact on a location may attract opposition for future events.

Application fees

The application fees you will pay depend on the size and frequency of your event.

See our fees and charges