Take Action

Gather your evidence together.  Working with a group of like minded people in your community can make it easier to collect and share evidence of poorly operated licensed premises .

As the regulatory agencies (which enforce the alcohol legislation) can’t be everywhere all of the time, they would be grateful if you kept an eye on premises in your neighbourhood and let them know if you observe any premises that might not be operating properly.

It will be helpful if you a keep a record of the issues you and any others have observed.

You can use the Incident Log tool to assist you with keeping your evidence together.

Incident log of alcohol-related problems in your community

To assist you in preparing your incident log, here is an example 

Forward your complaint, with any evidence you have, to the licensing inspector at your local council in the first instance.

  • You can use phone, email, mail or drop it off in person. 

If the problem is related to noise, vandalism of public property or other such amenity you will need to contact the appropriate department of your local council or their general helpline as well.  This will ensure that the issue is logged and any repairs can be arranged.

You might ask to meet with a licensing inspector. It could be an opportunity to establish a relationship with them and personalise your concerns.

If you have connections with your local police  team or DHB let them know of your concerns as well.