Host Responsibility Policy & Plans

The philosophy behind the Sale of Alcohol Act is: A Licence is required before alcohol may be sold; and Licensees, managers and all staff in hospitality are encouraged, and in fact, required to take responsibility for their "guests". The "Host Responsibility" concept emerged from this.  The principles of Host Responsibility include:

  • the promotion and availability of food and low alcohol and non-alcoholic beverages;
  • serving alcohol with care and responsibility;
  • responsible approaches to dealing with intoxicated and underage people;
  • and information about safe transport options.

Host responsibility will also embrace:

  • service or customer focus
  • staff training product
  • promotion liability/risk management

Developing a Host Responsibility Policy

Every Licensed establishment requires a Host Responsibility Policy. Some examples of a Host Responsibility Policy are available below in both PDF and Word versions. These examples contain the type of information that should be included.
The Word versions can be used as templates for your business.

Example Host Responsibility Policy for a Bar - On Licence(PDF, 23KB)
Example Host Responsibility Policy for a Bar - On Licence(DOCX, 84KB)
Example Host Responsibility Policy for an Off Licence(PDF, 9KB)
Example Host Responsibility Policy for an Off Licence(DOCX, 14KB)

Is your event a teenage party?

You need to be aware that the Event should be "registered" with the Levin Police under their "Party Policy" and you should obtain advice from the Levin Police before proceeding.

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