Many people forget that a Special Licence takes a minimum of 20 working days (approx. one full month) to process. This means that to get your festive party planned you need to apply soon.

“This is friendly reminder that nothing ruins your Christmas plans more than not having the party basics sorted – like your Special Licence.

“There are potentially big fines to pay if you sell and supply alcohol at your event without one and applying is easy and Council staff will help walk you through the process. So, it’s a no-brainer to get onto this early,” says Billy Charlton, Environmental Services Manager.

To host an event where you sell and supply alcohol without a Special Licence you risk a fine of up to $40,000 and imprisonment

Here are a couple of things that you need to know before applying:

• A Special Licence takes 20 working days (approx. one full month) to process
• To get your licence sorted for Christmas week you will need to put in an application before 21 November
• There are no working days between 20 December and 15 January. This means that applications are not processed during this time
• This also means that Special Licence events up to 14 February 2024 will be affected.
• Applications received less than 20 days before the event are unlikely to be considered.

You can find more information about special licences on the Council website: https://www.waimakariri.govt.nz/consents-and-licences/alcohol-licensing/alcohol-license-forms/special-licence