The Sale and Supply of Alcohol (Community Participation) Amendment Act 2023 (the Amendment Act) makes it easier for communities to have a say on alcohol regulation in their area, by making targeted changes to the alcohol licensing process in the Act.
There are two sets of changes.
Changes in force from 30 May 2024
The changes which have been in force since 30 May 2024 are that hearings:
- avoid unnecessary formality
- do not permit cross-examination, or the ability for parties to question other parties or their witnesses – DLCs will test evidence instead
- allow for tikanga to be incorporated into proceedings, and
- allow evidence to be received in te reo Māori.
An additional change is that DLCs and ARLA are required to consider reasonable requests from parties to attend hearings remotely.
Changes in force from August 2023
Here are the changes which have been in force since 31 August 2023:
- removal of the ability for people to appeal provisional local alcohol policies (LAPs) to the Alcohol Regulatory and Licensing Authority (ARLA)
- enablement of district licensing committees (DLCs) and ARLA to decline to renew a licence if the licence would be inconsistent with conditions on location or licence density in the relevant LAP, and
- allowance for any person to object to licence applications, whether as an individual or a representative of a group or an organisation, with narrow exceptions for trade competitors and their surrogates.
More information is in the following pamphlets from the Ministry of Justice:
