Night patrol
A special licence authorises the holder to sell and supply liquor on the premises or conveyance described in the licence. The licence enables alcohol to be consumed on the premises or conveyance by anyone attending an event or series of events described in the licence.
- The event needs to be different to normal trading activity. You will need to clearly describe the nature of the event.
- Tell the Council if the event is linked to a significant city-wide or international event, eg a Stadium or international sporting event, a film premiere. These types of events will be given special consideration, but applicants will still need to promote the event and distinguish it from normal trading activity.
- The event needs to be promoted, eg with flyers, radio advertising, newspaper advertising etc.
- If the event is private, you will need to provide a guest list and / or invitations clearly identifying the guests. If you operate a membership or VIP card system, you will need to produce evidence of a database record showing the names and addresses of recipients.
- You will need to tell us why the event cannot be held during normal trading hours.
Public Holidays
There are special licence criteria for Good Friday, Easter Sunday, Christmas Day and before 1.00pm on Anzac Day.
Hotels & Taverns
It is a condition of every licence that no liquor is to be sold or supplied on Good Friday, Easter Sunday, Christmas Day, or before 1.00pm on Anzac Day to someone other than:
- any person who is for the time being living on the premises, whether as a lodger or an employee of the holder, or otherwise
- any person who is present on the premises for the purpose of dining. [Section 14(2) of the Sale of Liquor Act 1989]
Off Licences
It is a condition on every licence that no liquor is to be sold or supplied on Good Friday, Easter Sunday, Christmas Day, or before 1.00pm on Anzac Day. [Section 37(1) of the Sale of Liquor Act 1989]
In passing the Sale of Liquor Act, Parliament specifically prohibited normal trading activity for hotels, taverns and off licences on these statutory days. Parliament did not reconsider its position in 1999 when it passed the Amendments to the Sale of Liquor Act, thereby confirming the special status of these statutory trading restrictions.
Licensees wanting to apply for special licences to trade on these days will need to meet the standard criteria for special licence applications and convince the reporting authorities that:
- they have a compelling reason for the event eg a wedding, cultural celebration (evidence of arrangements or cultural significance will be required)
- the event is date specific and there is a good reason why the event could not be held on any other day eg a 21st birthday (evidence of birth date will be required)
- the duration of the event is clearly justified.
Timeframes
Under Section 78(4) of the Sale of Liquor Act 1989, the Police have 20 working days to report on an application.
The Wellington District Licensing Authority (DLA) requests that an application for a special licence (premises) be received 25 working days prior to the event, allowing 10 working days for conveyance. The DLA can sometimes arrange for Police reports more quickly than this, however there is no guarantee that processing of any application lodged outside the specified timeframe will be in time for an event.
The Police and the Liquor Licensing Inspector must be able to properly investigate and report on the application.
If there is opposition from the Police or the Liquor Licensing Inspector to an application, a pre-hearing meeting (with all interested parties) will be held to try to resolve differences. If no satisfactory agreement has been reached, a hearing will take place and will require additional time.
Should the application be declined by the DLA, the applicant can appeal this decision to the Liquor Licensing Authority (LLA) in accordance with Section 37(1) of the Sale of Liquor Act 1989.
Department Details:
Building Consents & Licensing Services
