Local Alcohol Policy 2026

We want to know what you think about the proposed changes to our Local Alcohol Policy

A Local Alcohol Policy (LAP) is the decisions made by Council alongside the community about how to manage how alcohol is sold in our district. This allows us to help minimise the harm caused by alcohol to our community. Section 97 of the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012 requires us to review the LAP every six years.

Invercargill City District has had a LAP in place since 2016. The current policy is a joint policy with Southland District Council, which became operative in 2020. However, both Councils acknowledge that the needs regarding the sale and supply of alcohol are different in urban and rural settings, and therefore we have agreed to move ahead with separate LAPs.

Council is considering three main changes to the LAP:

1. Reducing maximum off-licence trading hours to 7.00 am to 10.00 pm (from 7.00 am to 11.00 pm currently),
2. Amending the provisions about “sensitive premises” to widen the distance within which licence applicants have to consult with these sensitive premises, to specifically include marae in the list of sensitive premises, and to clarify that applicants who take over an existing business won’t need to consult, and
3. Adding new discretionary conditions relating to external signage and the consumption of alcohol on the footpath.

As part of our review, Council has engaged with key stakeholders, including the Police, Te Whatu Ora and District Licencing Inspectors. We also reached out to hospitality providers, tourism operators, Papatipu Rūnanga and local organisations who are involved in reducing alcohol harm. The feedback we received has fed into our proposed changes.

We have prepared a Statement of Proposal, which outlines the key findings from the review, as well as our preferred changes and the reasons behind them. You may also find it useful to review our FAQ’s

Before our new LAP is adopted, it is important we hear from our community what you think about the proposed changes, and if the Proposed Draft Policy is fit for purpose for Invercargill and Bluff.

Submissions close at 5.00 pm on 18 February.