Liquor licences

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Manager's certificate

Find out how to apply or renew a manager's certificate, how to let us know if your duty manager changes and how to appoint a Temporary manager.

Apply for a new manager's certificate

When liquor is being sold or supplied to the public on licensed premises, a certificate-holding manager must be on duty at all times and be responsible for compliance with the Sale of Liquor Act 1989 and the conditions of the licence.

The manager's certificate is portable so you can carry out the duties and responsibilities of a manager in other premises.

There are two types of manager's certificates:

General manager's certificate: authorises you to manage any licensed premises such as an on-licence, off-licence, club licence or special licence and includes conveyances such as aircraft and motor vessels. A pre-requisite to hold a general manager's certificate is that you hold the Licence Controller Qualification (LCQ).

Club manager's certificate: limits you to managing premises that hold a club licence or where a special licence is in force. You are not required to hold the LCQ, however, you are required to complete the unit standards. The LCQ training given by Auckland Council covers the syllabus required for both a club manager's certificate and a general manager's certificate. Please note, if you work on a club premises you are only entitled to hold a club managers certificate.

If you are applying for a new manager's certificate two unit standards are required

• 4646 (Sale of Liquor Amendment Act 1999) and
• 16705 (host responsibility).

These unit standards can be acquired by completing the training in the Sale of Liquor Act. The standards require 10 hours of study in addition to attendance at the training course which involves two days training followed by an hours closed book examination the following week.

When you have gained these unit standards, you need to request a Licence Controller Qualification (LCQ) application form from the Hospitality Standards Institute of New Zealand (HSI). Visit their website for information on how to obtain an application form: www.hsi.co.nz

The HSI are managing the distribution of the national qualification. You will also need to obtain a special student ID number, known as a hook on number, from the New Zealand Qualifications Authority. For further information, visit www.nzqa.govt.nz.

General guidelines

• the fee is $134.93 (inclusive GST), which must be lodged at time of application and is not refundable
• you must be working in the Auckland city area to file your application with us
• non-NZ nationals must supply a copy of their foreign passport and their valid work permit
• NZ nationals must supply a copy of their NZ birth certificate and their NZ driver's licence or HANZ 18+ card
• you must complete the training in the Sale of Liquor Act, preferably prior to application
• if you have sat unit standards 4646 and 16705 you can apply for your manager's certificate without having to repeat the course
• the certificate will not be granted unless you submit a reference from your employer stating that they support your application and that you will be appointed as a duty manager on their premises once your certificate is issued
• the certificate will not be granted unless you submit a reference from your employer stating that it is required for your position on the premises
• certificates are issued for one year initially then renewed on application, normally for three years
• applications take 30 working days to process.

The District Licensing Agency will accept your application if you are booked on a training course within the next six weeks. Your application can not proceed until you have passed your Licence Controller Qualification.
 

To apply

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Renew your manager's certificate

If you are applying to renew an existing manager's certificate you must apply to renew it before it expires. If you lodge your application for renewal after the expiry date, your application will be processed as a new application and you will be required to attend an interview (even if you have held your certificate for 15 years and your application is only two days late).

General guidelines

• the fee is $134.93 (inc GST), which must be lodged at time of application and is not refundable
• renewal applications must be made before the expiry date of your manager's certificate. If you do not renew it before it expires, you will need to apply for a new manager's certificate
• you need to apply for renewal with the District Licensing Agency (DLA) for the area in which you are now working*
• you will need to supply a copy of your LCQ
• applications take approximately six weeks to process.

* If you are not currently working at a licensed premises, you should be aware that the Liquor Licensing Authority (LLA) has stated that certificates will not be granted or renewed simply to allow an individual to add the qualification to their CV for future use. If proof of working can not be supplied, it may result in your application being opposed and forwarded to the LLA for consideration. If this is the case, you may be required to attend a public hearing to determine whether or not a certificate should be granted.

Once you have lodged your application for renewal , the certificate remains valid until a decision on your application is made.

To apply

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Get a copy of your manager's certificate

We can provide a copy of your manager's certificate to you on request. The fee for this service is $75 (inc GST).

To request a copy, please contact us.

Training in the Sale of Liquor Act

Auckland Council runs a training course in the Sale of Liquor Act (Licence Controller Qualification).

The two day course

• runs from 9.30am to 3pm
• costs $175 (inc GST) per person.

An examination is held on the following Tuesday at 3.30pm.

To register for the course, download and complete the Managers certificate training course registration form (689k PDF)

Contact us for information on course dates and to make a booking.

Appointing Acting and Temporary managers

In certain circumstances you are allowed to appoint an uncertified person as an Acting or Temporary manager if a holder of a manager's certificate is not available.

Acting manager

A licensee can appoint someone without a manager's certificate as an Acting manager for up to three weeks at any one time. The total period of time for an Acting manager cannot exceed a total of six weeks in any 12-month period.

Temporary manager

A Temporary manager can be appointed if the usual duty manager is ill or absent for any reason or is dismissed or resigns. This person does not have to have a manager's certificate, however this person must, within two working days, apply for a manager's certificate. They may then continue as a Temporary manager until the application for a manager's certificate is determined.

When to appoint an Acting manager or Temporary manager

The position of Acting manager is usually a short-term appointment while a Temporary manager is likely to be a longer-term replacement for a permanent staff member. Generally, the provisions allow for the appointment of an Acting manager where the holder of a manager's certificate is ill, absent or on holiday, but where the absence is more of a short-term nature. A Temporary manager would be more appropriate when the usual or permanent manager suddenly leaves or is ill or absent for a significant period of time.

If a licensee appoints a person as an Acting or Temporary manager that person is deemed to have the responsibilities of the holder of a manager's Certificate. An Acting or Temporary manager can be prosecuted for breaches of the Act just as a manager's certificate holder can.

Notify us of changes to managers

You are legally required to give notice of the appointment, or termination of the appointment of any manager, Temporary manager, or Acting manager.

Notice must be given within 48 hours of appointment or termination.

It is not necessary to notify the agencies if the appointment will not exceed 48 hours, however it is recommended that such appointments are recorded in a daybook, or log book, along with the reason for the appointment.

To give notice:

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Updated July 2011