Inspections

The Council aims to promote food safety and environmental health in Wellington.

Environmental Health Team

The Council's Environmental Health team performs routine inspections throughout the city. It also investigates public complaints and provides information on a variety of public health issues.

Food premises must comply with food safety regulations and are graded as excellent, very good or ungraded.

An updated bylaw for food premises and public pools (the Local Public Health Bylaw) comes into operation on 1 July 2008. Copies of the new bylaw are available online, or from the City Service Centre, 101 Wakefield Street (phone: (04) 499 4444).

Local Public Health Bylaw (45Kb PDF)

Inspecting Public Premises

Food premises must comply with food safety regulations

There are over 1,400 food premises in Wellington city and almost 160 hairdressing premises.

Environmental Health Officers carry out more than 2,700 visits to these premises annually and investigate over 380 complaints, ranging from animals and dampness to smoke and rodents.

There are over 330 new premises or new owners each year.

How to Improve Food Safety

When grading a food outlet, Health Officers consider the type of product, the size of the establishment and the operational systems in place. To improve their grading, operators can:

provide a suitable cleaning programme
measure and record temperatures of display units, fridges and freezers and incoming stock
train at least half their staff in food safety
ensure all food is protected properly with perishable items kept either below 4°C or above 60°C.

Mildew & Condensation

You can treat mildew with a diluted bleach solution. Spray it on, allow it to dry and wipe off with clean water.

Repainting with an enamel-based paint and coating the ceiling with a sealer is also recommended.

Rats & Mice

Rats will feed on poorly-maintained compost, fallen fruit, food put out for birds and exposed rubbish. It is important to maintain garden areas and keep rubbish secure in covered bins.