Host Responsibility - Liquor Promotions

Host responsibility policies have a direct impact on your liquor promotions. Under the Sale of Liquor Act, it's an offence to run promotions that encourage excessive drinking.

To help you meet your obligations as a host, the Sale of Liquor Act clearly defines what kind of promotions are okay - and those that are not.

Unacceptable Practices

• Promotions that offer alcohol in non standard measures and/or by virtue of the descriptive titles (such as 'laybacks,' 'shooters,' 'slammers,' 'test tubes,' 'blasters') and their method of consumption, encourage irresponsible drinking habits.
• Promotions of drink cards that provide a multiple of free drinks and extreme discounts of limited duration on a given day or night which have the capacity to be readily stockpiled by patrons or transferred to other patrons are likely to result in rapid intoxication. The promotion or drink card must not by design create an incentive for patrons to consume liquor more rapidly than they otherwise might.
• Any labelling or titling of promotions that may encourage patrons to consume liquor irresponsibly and excessively.
• A refusal to serve single measures of spirits on request or provide reasonably priced non alcoholic drinks.
• Any promotion that encourages a patron to consume liquor excessively and in an unreasonable period of time, for instance 'all you can drink,' 'free drinks to women' or 'two for one' offers.

Acceptable Practices

• The traditional happy hour during or immediately following normal daytime working hours.
• A complimentary standard drink upon arrival.
• Promotions involving low alcohol beer where it is clear from the advertising that it is a low alcohol beer promotion.
• Advertising a consistent price of a particular type or brand of liquor across the entire trading hours of a premises on a given day or night, providing the price is not so low that it will, in itself, encourage the excessive consumption of alcohol and intoxication.
• Promotion of particular brands of liquor that provide incentives to purchase that brand by virtue of consistent discounted price, offer of a prize etc, but does not provide any particular incentive to consume that product more rapidly than a patron's normal drinking habit.
• Competitions with prizes of food, meal deals or other prizes consistent with host responsibility.
• Promotions involving food, meal and drink combos and other offers that relect host responsibility.

Related Links

• National Protocol on Alcohol Promotions - Alcohol Advisory Council of New Zealand website (30Kb PDF)

Department Details:
Liquor Licensing Services