Special Licence

A special licence covers times when you will be selling or providing alcohol for a special, one-off event such as a wedding or party, for events like the Blues, Brews and Barbecues, or the Wine Marlborough Festival, or to extend the hours or area of a licensed premises. In some situations, a special licence may not be required. Contact a liquor licensing officer at Marlborough District council to discuss your situation before making an application.

Note: if the licence is for a moving conveyance, please complete the application for special licence (for conveyance) form.

Will I need a special licence?

Yes, if:

You will be selling or supplying liquor to be consumed at any event where the premises doesn’t have an on licence or club licence.
If you are holding an event at a licensed club but will have non-members present, for example if you have booked out the club to hold a 21^st party.
If you are holding an event at a licensed premises, but outside the normal hours of operation stated in their licence.
If you have a licensed premises and want to open outside the hours of your licence, or to extend the area for which you are licensed.

For other circumstances, contact a licensing officer at Marlborough District Council to discuss your specific situation.

BYO Events

Under no circumstance can a special licence be obtained for a BYO event. If such events are held then a liability situation could exist under section 153 of the Sale of Liquor Act 1989- Use of unlicensed premises as a place of resort for the consumption of liquor.

Can I apply for one special licence to cover several events?

Yes you can have up to 10 events on the same licence. The events must be related or one event that runs over several days eg horse race meetings, Bowling Club tournaments, drama club performances.

Note: Public Holidays

There are special licence criteria for Good Friday, Easter Sunday, Christmas Day and before 1.00 pm on Anzac Day. In passing the Sale of Liquor Act Parliament specifically prohibited normal trading activity for hotels, taverns, and off licences on these statutory days. Parliament did not reconsider its position in 1999 other than for Off Licences for wineries whereby they may sell grape wine or fruit wine on Easter Sunday if the grape wine or fruit wine is made (i) on the premises; or (ii) from grapes or fruit harvested from land on which the premises is situated.

Licensees wanting to apply for special licences to trade on these statutory days will need to meet the standard criteria for special licence applications and convince the reporting authorities that:

They have a compelling reason for the event eg wedding, cultural celebration (evidence of arrangements or cultural significance will be required)
The event is date specific and there is a good reason why the event could not be held on any other day eg 21^st birthday (evidence of birth day will be required)
The duration of the event is clearly justified.

What if I’m having guests over to my house for drinks?

You are not required to hold a special licence if you are supplying liquor to your guests in your own private residence or your guests are bringing liquor to your own private residence.

Do I need a certified manager on site during my function?

Sometimes, but not always. The liquor licensing inspector will determine if you need a person with a manager’s certificate to be on site and ensure the event complies with the liquor licence. If you don’t need a certified manager, you will need to nominate a specific person to be responsible for the sale and supply of liquor at your event. This person’s name must be recorded on your licence.

How do I apply?

You must be 20 years of age or over to hold a special licence.

Contact a liquor licensing officer at Marlborough District Council to discuss your particular situation. The licensing officer will explain the requirements you need to meet. You may like to download and read through an application form first, as this may raise more questions that the licensing officer will answer for you.