Alcohol LicensingRaihana hoko waipiro

If you want to sell or supply alcohol in Central Hawke's Bay, you must have a current alcohol licence. You can select the alcohol licence you require from the list below.

Under the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012, the people and bodies involved in authorising alcohol licences include:

• District licensing committees (DLCs)
• Licensing Inspectors
• Territorial Authority Chief Executives

To apply for any alcohol licence, you are required to have a government RealMe account. Once you click to apply for the relevant licence below, you will be taken to the RealMe login page. If you do not have a RealMe account, you can register for one.

Apply for or renew your Manager's Certificate here. 

Apply for or renew your On-Licence to allow for the sale and supply of alcohol to persons for consumption on a specified premises.

An on-licence is required for premises that intend to sell and supply alcohol, including hotels, taverns, licensed restaurant/cafes, night clubs and function centres. It is initially issued for one year and if all conditions are met during that time, the licence can be renewed on a three-yearly basis.

Apply for or renew your Off-Licence to allow for the sale and supply of alcohol to persons for consumption off a licensed premises.

An off-licence is required for the sale and supply of alcohol away from a licensed premises, such as a bottle store, supermarket or cellar door winery. It is initially issued for one year and if all conditions are met during that time, the licence can be renewed on a three-yearly basis. 

Apply for or renew your Club Licence for the sale and supply of alcohol for consumption to club members and their guests on the club premises.

To become a club, your organisation needs to be an incorporate society. A club licence is issued for one year and if all conditions are being met during that time, then the club licence can be renewed on a three-yearly basis.

Apply for a Special Licence if you intend to sell alcohol at an event or provide alcohol as part of an entry charge or donation.

Do you require a special alcohol licence for your event? Check out this helpful diagram to help you decide.

You can get a special licence for an event that takes place over several days, as long as the event is the same in size, form and substance each day and is related, such as a music or food festival, or a sports event that takes place over four consecutive Saturdays.

The type and cost of your special licence is determined by the size of your event:

• Large event: 400 people, at either one large event or over a series of smaller events.
• Medium event: 100-400 people
• Smal event: less than 100 people

If you have a number of events that are unrelated to each other, or different in size, form and substance, you will need to apply for individual special licences for each event.

Apply for a special licence at least 20 working days BEFORE your event. 

Complete this form to advise Council of the event requiring the special licence.

Renew your current licence

We will endeavour to send you a letter and application pack reminding you to renew your liquor licence six weeks before your licence is due to expire. This is not a legal requirement of Council and full responsibility for ensuring your licence remains current lies with the licensee.

Please be sure to send your renewal application and payment fee (non-refundable) to us at this time, although we will accept applications up to close-of-business on the expiry date. Licence renewal applications take 30 working days to process. Your existing licence remains current until a decision is made on the renewal.

If your licence expires, you will need to apply for a new one, which can be time consuming and expensive. We are also required to inform the Police and they may visit your premises and ask you to remove alcohol from sale until a new licence is issued.

Requirements for renewal of a licence have changed with the new Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012. Please email the Licensing Inspector if you require further information.

Change in management

Notify us of a change in management at your premises by completing this online form, or you can download the form below and submit the notification in person or by post to our office in Waipawa.

Notice of Change of Management