RWC alcohol trading: what licensed premises need to know

Media release

Ministry of Justice

Rugby World Cup alcohol trading rules: what licensed premises need to know

9 September 2015

Resources to help businesses and organisations understand temporary changes to alcohol trading laws during the 2015 Rugby World Cup are now available.

Under the Sale and Supply of Alcohol (Rugby World Cup 2015 Extended Trading Hours) Amendment Act 2015, eligible premises with on-licences and club licences can open to show live games that fall outside their usual licensed hours.

“If licensees plan to screen after-hours Rugby World Cup games, they have to take certain steps in advance and meet certain conditions,” says David King, General Manager, Civil and Constitutional at the Ministry of Justice.

“For example, eligible licensees must tell local Police and their district licensing committee which games they intend to televise, and outline how they’ll keep noise levels down ,” Mr King says.

“Importantly, licensees have to make these notifications in writing at least 7 days before each game. That means if premises plan to screen the tournament’s initial matches, they should be preparing their advance written notice and noise management plans this week.

“Notifications related to screenings of the first day’s games need to be submitted to district licensing committees and local Police this Saturday at the latest, and the deadline for notifications for the first All Black’s match is Monday (14 September).

“Also, each premises’ extended trading hours will be different, depending on when their licensed hours usually end and the time and length of each game. To make sure they comply with the Amendment Act, licensees need be familiar with the rules that determine when they can open, when they must close, when they can sell alcohol and what conditions they need to comply with.

“The rules are quite complex, so we’ve made an effort to create useful, easy-to-understand resources to help people follow them,” Mr King says.

The resources available on the Ministry of Justice website at justice.govt.nz/policy/sale-and-supply-of-alcohol include:

• information about the extended hours rules

• a flowchart to help licensees determine when they can open, when they must close and when they can sell alcohol when screening after-hours games

• Sample notification forms

• Frequently asked questions

The Amendment Act is available at legislation.govt.nz. It includes a schedule of all Rugby World Cup games and scenarios that illustrate how the temporary new law works.

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