We welcome the proposed changes to the Sale & Supply of Alcohol (Improving Alcohol Regulation) Amendment Bill (the Bill).
“This is a common-sense approach to help improve our licensing system, although there is room to go further to simplify and streamline the process”, said NZABC Executive Director Virginia Nicholls.
For license-holders todays announcement means that only their own local community (within 1km of the licensed premise) will be able to object to the renewal of their alcohol license.
This will strengthen the ability for communities to once again decide how alcohol should be sold and supplied in their neighbourhood. This will stop a person from outside the local neighbourhood objecting to a license renewal.
During a District Licensing Committee (DLC) hearing we support license applicants being able to respond to any concerns raised by objectors in writing or during the hearing.
DLCs will not be able to decline a renewal application on any grounds because it is inconsistent with a new Local Alcohol Policy (LAP), however we are concerned that DLCs will be able to impose conditions to ensure consistency with the LAP.
We support the strengthening of home delivery to line up with what happens now in bricks-and-mortar retailers including supermarkets and bottle stores. This means that online delivery (rapid delivery within 2 hours of order) will now be required to verify age and intoxication of those they are delivering to. Drivers delivering must also be older than 18 years.
We support the Bill going further and aligning hours of operation of bricks-and-mortar retail and home delivery. At the moment home delivery can arrange deliveries at any time of the day – including outside their licensed operating hours.
Extending forms of ID including Government-approved digital forms of ID will make it easier to trust and record the ID.
The provision to provide a wider range of zero and/or low alcohol beverages in hospitality, including bars and restaurants makes sense.
We also support supermarkets being able to display zero-alcohol beer or wine alongside beer and wine.
It also makes sense that Winery Cellar Door provisions are extended to breweries and distilleries who will then be able to charge for tastings without needing an on-license.
We support the Ministry of Regulation’s ongoing review of the hospitality sector and its work to improve licensing.
It is important to remember that Kiwis are drinking differently. In the NZ Health survey [i] which provides information on New Zealander’s health and wellbeing five out of six New Zealanders (83.4%) drink beer, wine and spirits responsibly, and there has been an across-the-board decline in different measures of riskier drinking as compared to 2016/17.
References:
[i] Annual Update of Key Results 2024/25: New Zealand Health Survey | Ministry of Health NZ accessed 19 November 2025. There were 9,253 adult sample size.