Government Proposes Reforms to Alcohol Laws

8 September 2025

The Government has announced a package of reforms aimed at improving New Zealand's alcohol laws. These proposals, focus on strengthening community involvement in licensing decisions, streamlining special licence requirements, and reducing red tape for events.

Clubs New Zealand welcomes these reforms and has appreciated the opportunity to meet with both the Minister and the Ministry of Justice policy team to share the perspective of our members.

Supporting Community Involvement

We strongly support communities having a say in how alcohol is sold and supplied through the development of Local Alcohol Policies (LAPs) and participation in local licensing decision. However, since the introduction of the Sale and Supply of Alcohol (Community Participation) Amendment Act in 2023, we have raised concerns that only those opposed to a licence have has their voices heard. Those in favour of a licence, including clubs, community groups, and responsible operators, have had no right of reply. We are encouraged that these reforms may offer an opportunity to address this imbalance.

Proposals to strengthen community involvement include:

• Allowing licensing applicants a right of reply to objectors.
• Restricting objections to licence applications to local communities.
• When renewing a license under a new LAP, require DLCs to amend licence conditions, rather than decline applications outright.

Streamlining Special Licences

We are pleased to see proposals that would resolve long-standing issues around televised events. Currently, special licences or law changes have been required every four years to allow New Zealanders to watch the Rugby World Cup in licensed premises. The proposed reforms will enable the responsible Minister to declare a stand-alone exemption to special licensing requirements for national televised events. This is a sensible solution that can apply to all televised events, not just rugby, reflecting how many New Zealanders choose to come together and enjoy sport.

We also welcome the introduction of a risk-based framework for special licenses, which would bring greater consistency across the country. In our discussions with the Minister, we highlighted the particular challenge around funerals, where the 20 working day notice requirement is impossible to meet. As present, some councils allow flexibility, while others apply the law strictly. A fairer, nationally consistent framework would be a significant step forward.

Proposals to streamline special licences include:

• Enabling the responsible Minister to declare a stand-alone exemption to special licensing requirements for national televised events.
• Introducing a national risk-based framework to reduce inconsistent decision-making across the country.
• Increasing the threshold for large-scale events from 400 to 2000 people.

Other Reforms

Other reforms announced include:

• Allowing age verification digital identity credentials as approved evidence of age documents for alcohol purchases.
• Clarifying that "Non-Alcoholic" drinks are drinks with no alcohol content e.g. water and soft-drinks.
• Clarifying that "Low Alcohol" drinks are drinks with negligible alcohol content e.g. kombucha, and
• Clarifying that "Zero-Alcohol" drinks are drinks with no alcohol content, but which simulate alcoholic drinks e.g. 0.0% Gin or Beer.

Looking Ahead

These reforms are still at the proposal stage, and there is a lot of work to be done. Clubs New Zealand will continue to engage with the Government to ensure the voices of our members are heard. We are also eager to explore further opportunities to reduce red tape for club licence holders. Many of the "advantages" originally afforded to clubs have been eroded over time, leaving members facing additional compliance burdens while still being restricted by Section 60. 

We will keep members updated as the reform process develops and will provide guidance on any changes that affect clubs directly.