Retailers and Hospitality

Any sale of alcohol, whether it's an on-licence, off-licence, club-license or a special event, requires a licence. The sale of alcohol is tightly regulated. If you would like to apply for a licence to sell alcohol the district licensing committees in the Bay of Plenty and Lakes districts are:

• Kawerau District Council
• Ōpōtiki District Council
• Rotorua Lakes Council
• Taupō District Council
• Tauranga District Council
• Western Bay District Council
• Whakatāne District Council

You can contact us for more information or to make a complaint about licensed premises.

Driving after drinking alcohol is a leading cause of fatal and serious injury crashes in the Bay of Plenty and Lakes regions. The Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012 requires vendors/licensees to ensure free, comprehensive and accurate information is available to all customers, detailing the forms of transport on offer to enable them to travel onward or home from their premises.

Toi Te Ora Public Health has produced a number of resources that are available for licensed premises. To view and print signage resources for your bar, pub or restaurant, please click on the below links.

• Poster - Life of the party (male)
• Poster - Life of the party (female)
• Poster - Your designated driver gets a free non-alcoholic drink
• Poster - Your family wants you home safely (This poster is designed to be written on, listing the various alternative transport options recommended by the vendor/licensee).

The Health Promotion Agency also has a number of resources available for licensed premises.

At Toi Te Ora Public Health we work to minimise harm caused to the public by the consumption of alcohol. This involves:

• The Medical Officer of Health reporting on new licence and renewal applications. Download a Public Health Alcohol Questionnaire to accompnay your licence application Off License Public Health Alcohol Questionnaire or On/Club License Public Health Alcohol Questionnaire
• Helping to enforce the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012 – auditing licensed premises to ensure licence conditions are upheld.
• Monitoring of alcohol related issues such as alcohol promotions.
• Host responsibility training, advice and information for staff of licensed premises.
• Submitting on alcohol-related issues to regional councils and government and helping the community have their say about local alcohol licensing.
• Working alongside District Licensing Committees and police to support alcohol policies and support licensees to make improvements and overcome problems.
• Developing resources to help licensees uphold their host responsibilities. Please see resources below.

For more information about what we do you can read our Position Statement on alcohol.

• Information on host responsibility
• The Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012
• Sale and supply of alcohol – key points for businesses 
• Information on alcohol laws in New Zealand
• A range of health education resources about alcohol can be viewed and ordered from HealthEd and the Health Promotion Agency.
• The World Health Organization and Ministry of Health websites also provide comprehensive information on alcohol and its effects.

Our Smokefree Enforcement Officers work to ensure compliance with the Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products Act 1990 by:

• visiting tobacco retailers to remind them of their responsibilities and support them to maintain compliance;
• conducting Controlled Purchase Operations with young volunteers to test tobacco retailer’s compliance;
• visiting licensed premises to ensure their open areas (where smoking is allowed) comply with the requirements set out in the Act; and
• responding to complaints and queries.

Contact your local Smokefree Enforcement Officer at Toi Te Ora Public Health for support to comply with the smokefree legislation.

• Read more about the Smokefree Environment Act on the Ministry of Health website
• Download smokefree signage and other resources from HealthEd and the Health Promotion Agency
• Read more about smokefree environments
• Vaping information for distributors and retailers 
• Vaping information for specialist vape retailers