Draft local alcohol policy

Submissions closing on 30 April 2025, 12:00 AM

Local Alcohol Policy

Whanganui’s local alcohol policy is up for its six-yearly review. After hearing input from the community via a survey in late 2024, we’re proposing a few changes to the policy.

The purpose of a local alcohol policy

Alcohol-related harm is a deep and complex topic, costing New Zealand an estimated $9.1 billion every year according to the Public Health Communication Centre Aotearoa, and contributes to violence, unsafe driving, littering, harassment, poor health outcomes, poverty, lost productivity and ACC claims.

The local alcohol policy helps manage and minimise alcohol-related harm across the district by setting rules that have to be followed, like sales hours and a one-way door policy for clubs, bars and pubs. It also includes rules that have to be considered by the District Licensing Committee, like a licence cap or conditions that can be applied to specific venues to help them manage risks.

Whanganui District Council has had its Local Alcohol Policy in place since 2019, and under the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012 we are required to review it every six years. The council has reached out to health organisations, Police, ACC, Hato Hone St John, community groups and stakeholders, the alcohol industry and local residents to put together a draft policy, and we are now seeking your feedback on our proposals.

Read on for a summary of the current policy and the proposed changes.

A range of relevant documents are linked to the right:

  • our Statement of Proposal (for more detail on the considerations that have gone into our proposals)
  • the draft Local Alcohol Policy 2025
  • a research report on alcohol harm in Whanganui, drafted for this review, and
  • a report on the results of the survey we ran in late 2024.

The current policy

As well as information on alcohol-related harm, the current Local Alcohol Policy 2019 has five substantive clauses:

What’s proposed to change – the draft policy

The proposed Local Alcohol Policy 2025 proposes that some clauses are changed, some are modified, and some are removed. 

The substantive changes being proposed are listed here:

Have your say

Online form

Printable hard-copy form(PDF, 225KB)

Consultation closes at midnight on Wednesday, 30 April 2025.

Engagement events will be scheduled during the month of April. Keep an eye on our Facebook page and this page for updates.