17 March 2026 – Member News
The Government has introduced the Sale and Supply of Alcohol (Improving Alcohol Regulation) Amendment Bill, and it has been welcomed by many across the brewing, liquor, and hospitality sectors. The proposed updates aim to modernise an often overly complex licensing system and remove unnecessary red tape, with several changes that will directly benefit Guild members across New Zealand.
The Bill proposes practical, industrysupported updates that will rebalance the licensing process, streamline compliance, and better reflect modern drinking trends.
Below are the key improvements most relevant to Brewers Guild members.
- Fairer and More Balanced Licensing Objection Rules
The Bill proposes to tighten who can object to licence applications, ensuring objections come from people with a genuine connection to the local area. This means:
- Fewer vexatious or outofregion objections delaying approvals or renewals.
- More predictable outcomes for breweries with taprooms or onlicences.
This fixes a longstanding pain point where objections could come from “anyone, anywhere,” jeopardising legitimate businesses.
- Simpler, Less Legalistic Licensing Hearings
Licensing hearings will be streamlined and less bureaucratic, reducing compliance costs and time pressures on small operators. This removes unnecessary barriers for breweries seeking to open, renew, or expand their venues.
- Recognition ofZeroAlcoholBeverages
The Bill updates licensing rules to align with the huge growth in zeroalcohol drinks, allowing breweries and onlicence venues to meet their obligations using 0% ABV beer, instead of only products under 2.5% ABV. This change:
- Gives breweries more flexibility in what they can stock, including their own products.
- Supports the strong consumer shift toward low and noalcohol options.
- Reduces cost and complexity in meeting licence conditions.
- Smoother Path for Major Events and Televised Screenings
The Bill reduces red tape for special licences and simplifies approvals for major televised events — an important update for breweries that host events or partner with venues. This means:
- Fewer administrative hurdles.
- Easier planning of taproom events, beer festivals, and sports screenings.
- Stronger Local Decision-Making Powers
Local councils will have more clarity and authority when shaping Local Alcohol Policies (LAPs).
For breweries, this adds certainty, as decisions are more likely to reflect real community needs rather than broad, onesizefitsall restrictions.
- Clearer, Fairer Processes for Licence Renewals
The Bill reinstates key procedural safeguards, including:
- Ensuring objections have a valid local connection.
- Giving applicants a right of reply in hearings.
This helps prevent legitimate businesses — including brewery taprooms — from being disadvantaged by unchallenged or irrelevant objections.
What This Means for NZ Breweries
These changes collectively deliver meaningful benefits for members:
✔ Reduced compliance burden: Less paperwork, less complexity, and fewer unnecessary hearings.
✔ More predictable licensing processes: Breweries can plan with greater confidence when opening or renewing taprooms or hospitality spaces.
✔ Better alignment with modern product lines: Zeroalcohol beer now counts toward licence conditions — a win for breweries innovating in this fastgrowing category.
✔ Stronger support for hosting events: Simplified event licensing supports tourism, community engagement, and taproom activation.
✔ Improved fairness: Licence decisions will be more locally grounded and less vulnerable to unrelated or ideological objections.
There is more work to be done, and the Guild, will continue to advocate for our members for more commonsense changes that make doing business easier. Simplifying, streamlining and improving consistency across the board is necessary, and will be a focus going forward.
