District Licensing Committee

The functions of a District Licensing Committee (DLC) are specified by the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012.

In general, the Matamata-Piako District Council DLC will decide applications for:

• New and renewed licences and managers' certificates, regardless of whether these are contested;
• Temporary authorities and temporary licences;
• Variation of licences; and
• Most enforcement action for special licences.

Contested applications are applications opposed by licensing inspectors, Police or Medical Officers of Health, or objected to by members of the public. Only people with a greater interest than the public generally can object to licence applications.

A DLC is a committee of Council.

All DLC Alcohol licencing decisions from 1 January 2019 are available. A copy of earlier decisions may be requested from the alcohol licensing team or by calling  0800 746 467.

Chairperson

Sue Whiting

Deputy Chairperson

Russell Smith

List Members

Neil Goodger, Ross Murphy and Alan Sciascia

Secretary

Alyson Van Kuijk

Roles and Responsibility

Reporting agencies

The Council's licensing inspectors, the NZ Police and the Medical Officer of Health, are also involved in the alcohol licensing process. These agencies enquire into licence applications and prepare reports that are submitted to DLCs for consideration along with the application.

Licensing inspectors

Licensing inspectors are responsible for enquiring into and reporting on all applications. Inspectors are appointed by the Council and must look at the following:

• suitability of applicants
• employment of certified managers
• host responsibility practices
• issues around operating hours
• proposed use and designation of the premises

Inspectors also monitor licensed premises for compliance with the Act.

Police

The police receive a copy of all licence applications. Background checks for convictions and immigration status are completed on the individuals, members of partnerships, directors and shareholders of the applicant company.

The police also monitor all licensed premises on an ongoing basis to ensure they comply with the Act.

Medical Officer of Health

The Medical Officer of Health reports on club, off-licence, on-licence and special licence applications and renewals. The Medical Officer of Health reviews host responsibility policies and enforces the Smoke-Free Environments Act 1990, as well as monitoring licensed premises for compliance with the Act and host responsibility practices.

 Alcohol Regulatory and Licensing Authority

The Alcohol Regulatory and Licensing Authority (ARLA) is the national regulatory and appeal authority for alcohol licensing.

ARLA considers and determines:

• Appeals against DLC decisions.
• Applications lodged by the police or licensing inspectors to suspend or cancel licences or managers' certificates.
• Applications for licences and managers' certificates referred by DLCs.

ARLA also provides guidance and direction to DLCs.

More information on ARLA is available from the Ministry of Justice - ARLA website