December 2014
Hi Ayleen
Welcome to Liquor Link – a regular update from Auckland Council about alcohol licensing and alcohol issues in Auckland.
The Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act has now been in effect for one year and we have noticed that on-licenses have been getting on board with good host responsibility. Keep it up over the busy summer period by making sure you have lots of water available, substantial food choices for your patrons and can provide information about getting home safely. Auckland Transport is now putting on trains until 12.30am in the weekends and the Niterider bus will run until 3am, including New Year’s Eve.
Here are some seasonal reminders too:
- Special Licences: if you are having an event mid-February 2014 or earlier, special licence applications must be lodged by 18 December. (NB: under the new laws, from 20 Dec to 15 Jan applications cannot be processed).
- All licensed premises must cease any sales of alcohol at midnight on Christmas Eve, 24 December. The only exceptions on Christmas Day are where people are at an establishment for the purpose of dining. Trading may recommence after midnight on Boxing Day, 26 December from 7am (off-licences) or 8am (on-licences) if your existing licence allows it.
If you sent in a submission on the draft Local Alcohol Policy you should have received a letter giving you an update on the LAP – as mentioned briefly below. Today we also wanted to make you aware of some other changes to local and central government legislation that will affect most hospitality businesses next year.
Rob Abbott, Auckland Council Alcohol Licensing.
Auckland Council Draft Local Alcohol Policy - update
The council received 2,688 written submissions on the draft LAP and conducted 10 days of hearings. Having read and heard final submissions on 24 November, the Hearings Panel has decided to complete its deliberations in early 2015. This will allow more time to work through the vast amount of feedback received on the draft Auckland Council LAP.
Moreover, it will enable the Hearings Panel to consider the Alcohol Regulatory and Licensing Authority’s decision on the appeals against the Wellington City Council Provisional LAP once it is released in late-December 2014 or early-2015. This will assist the Hearings Panel with its deliberations next year and with making final recommendations back to the council’s Governing Body for a provisional LAP.
Thank you all for your submissions and interest in this process. We look forward to updating you further in the New Year.
Outdoor Dining in public places – new bylaw to come
A region-wide Trading and Events in Public Places Bylaw has been proposed by Auckland Council and is due to come into effect 1 July 2015. The bylaw covers the licensing of outdoor dining, mobile shops, markets and events in public places. Many cafes, restaurants and bars around the region will currently have a Street Trading licence which allows exclusive use of certain public space, e.g. dining area on the street frontage of a bar. The new bylaw will replace how street trading activities are managed, protect public accessibility and introduce an annual licence fee and rental fee based on public space used for businesses offering outdoor dining.
To find out more, please visit www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/bylaws
Food Act 2014
The Food Act was passed into law earlier this year and will come into force by 1 March 2016. This national legislation is about making sure that the food businesses sell is safe and suitable to eat. Under the Act, Auckland Council will continue to be the regulatory authority that will issue the required registration for businesses that serve food and perform the necessary food safety verifications. Under the new Act, food service businesses such as restaurants, bars, cafes and hotels will need to operate with a registered Food Control Plan (FCP).
Auckland Council is working with the Ministry for Primary Industries to work with food service businesses in making the transition early. This is known as The Voluntary Implementation Programme (VIP) and means that our Environmental Health staff can work with you to tailor a food control plan to suit your business. We are keen to get as many on-licences across the Auckland region involved in VIP and our team will be in touch early in the New Year to support businesses who are keen to promote excellent food practices. In the meantime, to find out more about the Act visit www.mpi.govt.nz or www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/food
Pass it on...
With the changes to alcohol licensing affecting so many of us, it’s important to talk directly about issues affecting Aucklanders. Please forward this email to others who are interested in alcohol issues for sign up to regular updates.
Contact details
Can’t find an answer to your question? Auckland Council’s alcohol licensing team are on hand to answer more complex questions and can be contacted via email liquorlicensing@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz
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