We want to hear your views on alcohol access and any related issues in our community.

Your feedback will help Council decide whether to develop a draft Local Alcohol Policy (LAP) and, if so, what Hamilton-specific rules should be included.

The survey questions generally ask about perceptions of alcohol-related problems, and some preferences for alcohol licensing matters that can be addressed with a Local Alcohol Policy.

A Local Alcohol Policy allows Council to set rules to guide alcohol licensing decisions. Developing a LAP could:

  • allow for Hamilton-specific rules to be included in District Licensing Committee decision-making
  • improve clarity, transparency, and fairness for applicants
  • provide reassurance to the community
  • enable harm reduction measures that respond to Hamilton’s demographic, health indicators and instances of alcohol-related harm.

The scope of a LAP is limited to the matters in section 77 of the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act.

The Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012 allows local councils to develop local alcohol policies. A local alcohol policy (LAP) is a set of decisions made by a local authority in consultation with its community about the sale and supply of alcohol in its geographical area. Once a LAP is in place, licensing bodies must consider it when they make decisions about alcohol licensing applications.

LAPs are optional; local councils don't have to have one.

What a LAP can cover

By having a LAP, communities can:

  • limit the location of licences in particular areas or near certain types of facilities such as in specific neighbourhoods or near schools or churches (this doesn't apply to special licences)
  • limit the density of licences by specifying whether new licences or types of licences should be issued in a particular area (this doesn't apply to special licences)
  • impose conditions on groups of licences, such as a 'one-way door' condition that would allow patrons to leave premises but not enter or re-enter after a certain time
  • restrict or extend the maximum opening hours set in the new Act.

A LAP can have different conditions for different areas within the council's district.

The effect of a LAP

LAPs give local communities more input into licensing decisions. This means local outlets of national businesses (for example, supermarket chains) may have different opening hours or conditions depending on where they're located. For reasons of fairness, limits on the location and density of licences won't apply to businesses that were granted licences under the previous Act. However, those limits will apply to new licences issued for existing premises (for example, if a bar has a new owner who is applying for a licence).


Next steps

If Council decides to draft a Local Alcohol Policy and develop Hamilton-specific alcohol licensing rules, we will consult with the community again about those proposed rules.

All feedback from this survey will be collated and presented at the 2 April 2026 Council meeting. At the meeting, Elected Members are expected to make a decision on whether to progress to drafting a Local Alcohol Policy or not.