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Managing licensed premises

Find out how to apply for or renew a manager's certificate and access information on training providers.

At all times alcohol is being sold to the public in or from licensed premises a certified manager must be on duty and responsible for compliance with the licence and the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012. 

Applying for a Manager's Certificate

The following application forms must be completed if you are applying for a manager's certificate or the renewal of a manager's certificate.

Temporary or Acting Manager

If you as a licensee are appointing a temporary manager due to staff changes, or an acting manager to cover staff leave, the notification of management change form must be completed and sent to the District Licensing Committee and Police.

If you are notifying the appointment of a temporary manager, that person must apply for a manager's certificate within two working days of the appointment. 

Training Requirements

In order to apply for a manager's certificate for the first time you must have completed your Licence Controller Qualification (LCQ).  A list of training providers is available from the ServiceIQ website.

Prior to January 2017, if you completed your LCQ before December 2013 you needed to complete a Bridging Test as well.  If you have both of these certificates you can apply for your manager's certificate by including them with your application. For copies of these cerificates, or any other information concerning the LCQ or Bridging Test, please contact Service IQ at www.ServiceIQ.org.nz

If you gained your LCQ before December 2013 but did not complete the Bridging Test before it was withdrawn by Service IQ in January 2017, you will need to undertake LCQ training again, and gain a new certificate.  Please refer to the list of training providers mentioned above.

ServeWise – New Free Online Training Tool

Although managers are required to hold a qualification, general bar/waiting staff are not. This can leave staff ill-equipped to deal with tricky situations.

ServeWise was developed for frontline sellers and servers of alcohol in response to industry and regulatory agency demand for improved standards of training. This e-learning tool provides a basic understanding of the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act with a strong focus on intoxication, minors, server intervention and host responsibility.

It uses an interactive game format that utilises video and animation to assist learning, and the scenarios used meet specific needs of staff in Off licensed and On licensed premises. The modules take approximately one hour to complete and the training is free of charge.

Visit http://servewise.alcohol.org.nz

Health Promotion Agency (HPA)

HPA provides information, advice, research and resources to help prevent and reduce alcohol-related harm and inspire New Zealanders to make better decisions about drinking alcohol.

Resources and online tools to help staff, duty managers and licensees fulfill their host responsibility obligations are available on their website alcohol.org.nz.