Alcohol licences under threat
31 March 2015Some alcohol licence holders in the Waipa district are at risk not having their alcohol licences renewed.
Alcohol licencing laws changed in December 2013, ushering in big changes for those who sell or supply alcohol. But despite being provided with information, an application check-list and one-on-one assistance, some Waipa licencees are still failing to get the basics right when reapplying for their alcohol licence.
Waipa District Council's environmental services team leader Karl Tutty said council staff had taken steps to make the process easier. But some applications were frankly, pretty casual, he said.
We're seeing some basic errors come through time and time again. In some instances licence holders don't even know their own trading hours which certainly raises a few questions about how they manage their business.
Applications were often late, despite all licence holders being reminded to reapply a month in advance. Mistakes were also being made around public advertising, forcing some applicants to readvertise at their cost.
The law came into force more than a year ago now and is very clear. All applications must be received no less than 20 working days before a licence expires unless there are exceptional circumstances. Given the poor standard of some applications, it's clear some licensees are not at all clear on what the law demands of them.
Mr Tutty said it was not a case of just filling in a form and waiting for a new licence to arrive in the post. Nor is it Council staff who decide whether or not an alcohol licence is granted. Those decisions are made by the District Licensing Committee made up of independent people appointed by the Council.
If a decision from the committee is appealed by the applicant, that appeal is heard by the Alcohol Regulatory and Licensing Authority based in Wellington.
Mr Tutty said that to date the District Licensing Committee had waived some minor errors and omissions. But patience was running out and he urged licence holders to step up.
The Act has been in force for more than a year now and the message we've had is that licence holders need to up their game or risk not having their licence renewed.
Media enquiries, contact Jeanette Tyrrell (on behalf of council) 027 507 7599