2025 Alcohol Amendment Bill: Key Legal Changes for Licence Holders

In April 2025, the New Zealand Parliament introduced the Sale and Supply of Alcohol (Restrictions on Issue of Off-licence and Low and No Alcohol Products) Amendment Bill. This Member’s Bill proposes changes to modernise and refine the country’s alcohol licensing framework. The Amendment Bill seeks to address long-standing limitations in the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012, particularly around off-licence eligibility and the growing market for low and no-alcohol beverages.

Dual Licensing for Mixed-Purpose Premises

The Bill allows premises that combine a restaurant and a shop (e.g., a deli with a dining area) to hold both:

• An on-licence for the restaurant, and
• An off-licence for the shop component.

This change removes the current restriction under section 36(e), which prohibits shops located within other shops from obtaining off-licences. If enacted this will open opportunities for business to offer a broader dining and take-home experience. We know that several of our current clients (both sellers and consumers) will welcome this change.

Support for Food and Drink Manufacturers

Under the current legislation, manufacturers with on-site retail outlets must derive at least 85% of their revenue from alcohol sales to qualify for an off-licence. The amendment proposes to exclude items manufactured on-site from this calculation. The examples given in the explanatory note to the Bill are cheese and cordials. This would presumably mean that a cheesery would be able to hold an off-licence if the revenue for sales of any other products not produced on site was less than 15% of total revenue when including alcohol sales.

Low and No-Alcohol Options

Currently the legislation requires that holders of off licences must stock low alcohol options (no more than 2.5%). However, there is an increasing trend for ultra-low or non-alcoholic products, particularly beer. Premises are finding low demand for mid-strength options and limited production of these products. The Bill recognises this trend and amends section 52 to provide that on-licence and club licence holders must offer:

• Alcoholic beverages with no more than 2.5% ethanol by volume, and/or
• Beer, wine, or spirits with less than 1.15% ethanol by volume.

The Bill also amends section 51 to clarify that the low and no-alcohol drinks required under section 52 are not substitutes for the non-alcoholic beverages (like juice or soda) that must be available for purchase

We are sure that many of our alcohol licensing clients will be keen to see this Bill proceed though the House and receive Royal Assent. Times continue to be tough in the hospitality industry and it is good to see proposed changes to the legislation to make it workable for both those in the industry and the customers.

If you need advice about Alcohol Licensing our team of specialists are here to help.

This article is current as at the date of publication and is only intended to provide general comments about the law. Harkness Henry accepts no responsibility for reliance by any person or organisation on the content of the article. Please contact the author of the article if you require specific advice about how the law applies to you.