Liquor bans

Why Auckland has liquor bans | Liquor ban areas | Temporary liquor bans | Powers of the police | Liquor ban requests

Powers of the police

It is an offence to knowingly disobey the liquor ban. The police can arrest you if you commit an offence against the liquor ban, or if they have reasonable cause to suspect that you have done so.

If you are drinking alcohol in a public place within the ban area, the police may give you the opportunity to tip it out and warn you, if you fail to comply with that request they may arrest you.

The police will not target people carrying alcohol to a BYO restaurant to have it with a meal or going to a residential address within the liquor ban area.

The police can confiscate alcohol as evidence if an arrest is made.

Legislation allows the police to impose a maximum penalty of $20,000.

Updated September 2009