Apply for Special Licence

Once your application has been received (and matched with your payment) it will be sent to the following agencies to enquire into and report on before the Horowhenua District Licensing Committee makes a decision:

• NZ Police (local branch)
• Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand
• Horowhenua District Council's Alcohol Licensing Inspector.

Please note that the statutory timeframe allowed for the processing of applications is 20 working days.

Form 8 - Public Notice

If required to do so by the Secretary of the District Licensing Committee, you must ensure that notice of this application in Form 8 is attached in a place that is easily visible and at eye level or next to the site to which this application relates within 10 working days after filing this application with the Committee.

Privacy Act 2020

Personal information contained in your application and any supporting information will be held by Horowhenua District Council. It will be provided to the District Licensing Committee, NZ Police, Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand and Licensing inspectorate, and may be provided to the licensing authority, as part of the licensing process. Personal information and supporting information may be included in the District Licensing Committee's decision which will be publicly available.

You need a Special Licence if you're holding an event:

• where alcohol is supplied for sale (this includes koha payments)
• where tickets are sold that include supply of alcohol in the ticket price
• in a licenced premises outside of the normal licenced hours.
• at a Club where people who are not Club Members are able to purchase alcohol.

Yes, you can apply for more than one event on an application, as long as they are of a similar nature, i.e. family events, work functions, sporting events, fundraising events etc.

You can apply for a series of events such as regular meetings, theatre productions, or sporting events, by selecting the Series of Events option on the form (for a period of no more than six months).

A run of similar but unrelated events, such as family events, does not count as a Series of Events. Please select the One-off Event option.

You may only apply for one large event (more than 400 people) per application.

You must submit your application at least 20 working days before the first event.

Your application will be circulated to NZ Police, Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand, and the Alcohol Licensing Inspector for comment, before the Horowhenua District Licensing Committee makes a decision.

The Applicant is the person(s) or organisation whose name will be on the licence and will receive any proceeds from alcohol or ticket sales.  This can be a person, or an organisation such as a company or a club.

The Responsible Person is the person(s) who will be in charge at the event. They must be over 20 years old and must not be drinking during the event. The Responsible Person may be a Manager but doesn’t have to be.

A Manager is a person who holds a Manager’s Certificate, authorising them to manage licenced premises.

We need full contact information for the Applicant and the Responsible Person.  For each subsequent Manager or Responsible Person we need their name, date of birth, and details of their Manager’s Certificate (if held).

A Manager’s Certificate authorises the holder to manage licenced premises.  The Responsible Person may be a Manager but doesn’t have to be.

There must be a person present who is responsible to ensure the Sale and Supply of alcohol is carried out in accordance with the terms of the special licence and The Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012.  This can be a Manager’s Certificate holder or Responsible Person(s) who must be present at all times during the event.

Food must be made available to people attending the event.  This must be of a substantial nature ie full meals, buffet meals, savouries, sandwiches, pizza, hot chips etc.  At least three different types of food must be provided.

You need to be aware that the event should be registered with the Levin Police under their "Party Policy" and you should obtain advice from the Levin Police before proceeding.