Pervinder Davies Law

18/10/2026

A heartfelt thank you to the team at Alley Arcade Cambridge for inviting us to be part of your grand opening. It was such a pleasure to be there, celebrate this exciting milestone with you, and see all your hard work come to fruition.

At Pervinder Davies Law, we were delighted to help with the alcohol licensing for Alley Arcade. There’s something genuinely rewarding about supporting a local business behind the scenes and then getting to stand back and see the finished result, ready to welcome the community.

Alley Arcade is such a fantastic addition to Cambridge and the wider Waipā community. It’s wonderful to see new spaces like this bringing people together, creating experiences and adding something special to our local towns.

We’re proud to have played a small part in making it happen, and we wish the whole team every success as this exciting new chapter begins. 🥂

Congratulations, Alley Arcade Cambridge! Here’s to a bright future and many happy memories to come. 🎉

15/10/2026

🥧✈️ Fairlie to Hamilton in one day!

A hearing in Fairlie, then back to Christchurch Airport to catch a flight to Hamilton. All in a day’s work!

Of course, no trip to Fairlie feels quite complete without thinking about the famous Fairlie pie 🥧!

Working in alcohol licensing means being prepared to travel wherever the work takes you. One minute you’re in a hearing room in a small South Island town, and a few hours later you’re touching down in Hamilton.

A full day, different modes of transport, and plenty of kilometres covered!

The reality of working across New Zealand — sometimes the office is wherever the day takes you. 😊

11/10/2026

When applying for an alcohol licence or manager’s certificate, how much should you tell your lawyer or consultant?

Quite a lot — and there’s a good reason for that.

It’s natural to wonder whether an old conviction still matters, whether a minor offence needs to be discussed, or whether an issue at another licensed premises you own or operate is relevant to a new application.

You might not be sure what needs to be disclosed, or how a particular matter will be viewed. That’s exactly the sort of thing worth discussing with the person helping you prepare your application.

Suitability is an important part of alcohol licensing, and depending on the circumstances, convictions — old or recent, minor or serious — and compliance issues at other licensed premises may be relevant.

That doesn’t automatically mean your application will be declined. The circumstances surrounding the issue, how long ago it occurred and the explanation may all be important.

Knowing the full picture also means your lawyer or consultant can give you more informed advice, identify potential questions and help you address any concerns before the application is submitted.

Sometimes, what seems like a small or unrelated detail to an applicant may be something the licensing authority wants to understand.

You don’t need to work out on your own what might matter. Have the conversation early and give your expert advisor the opportunity to help you navigate it.

The aim isn’t to make an issue bigger than it needs to be. It’s to make sure your application is properly prepared, with no unexpected surprises along the way.

28/09/2026

Could a floor plan make or break your alcohol licence application?

It’s easy to think of the floor plan as just another document to attach to an alcohol licence application.

It’s not.

I quite often see businesses hesitate to spend money on properly preparing plans because they’re thinking:

“I don’t want to spend money on building work until I know I’ll get the licence.”

Or:

“Why would I pay for detailed plans or building consents when I don’t even know whether the licence will be approved?”

It’s understandable. Nobody wants to spend money unnecessarily.

But there’s a problem with that approach.

You have to properly show what you are proposing before the licensing authority can properly assess it.

Where will alcohol be sold?

Where will customers consume it?

What areas are part of the licensed premises?

Where are the entrances, exits, toilets and other relevant areas?

And if building work is proposed, does the layout actually work from a building compliance perspective?

A plan that is vague, incomplete or doesn’t accurately reflect the proposed operation can create questions, delays and compliance concerns that might have been avoided if the proposal had been properly worked through from the beginning.

There’s also a bigger risk in trying to save money at the planning stage.

If you don’t properly set out what you are proposing, you increase the risk of the licence application not being approved in the form you want — or at all.

That doesn’t mean you should spend money blindly on every possible piece of building work before applying.

It means understanding what needs to be properly designed, documented and addressed before you put the application forward.

The floor plan isn’t there simply to make the application look complete.

It shows the licensing authority exactly what you are asking them to approve.

Sometimes trying to save money at the beginning can end up costing much more later.

17/09/2026

11/09/2026

Alcohol licensing: a move towards common sense?

There’s been a significant announcement today about the future of New Zealand’s alcohol licensing regime.

The Government has accepted almost all of the recommendations from the Ministry for Regulation’s Hospitality Sector Review, with a clear focus on making licensing simpler, more proportionate and less costly.

The proposed changes include:

• Simplifying new licence and renewal applications
• Reducing renewal fees and removing annual fees
• Extending renewal periods for some licences
• Making licensing criteria more specific
• Simplifying the application process
• Changes to District Licensing Committees
• Moving towards a single, risk-based licensing framework

The announcement acknowledges something many hospitality businesses already know: licensing delays, complexity and uncertainty can have a very real impact on businesses.

The changes are not happening overnight, and there is still plenty to work through before we see what the new system actually looks like.

But this is an important step.

For anyone operating a bar, restaurant, bottle store or other alcohol business, the detail of the reforms will matter.

I’ll be keeping an eye on what comes next — particularly what these proposed changes will mean in practice for applications, renewals, compliance and the role of District Licensing Committees.

A potentially very interesting time ahead for alcohol licensing in New Zealand.

Read the Government announcement
https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/alcohol-licenses-use-common-sense

07/09/2026

Have you ever looked at an alcohol licence application and thought, “I can probably do this myself”?

It’s understandable.

The forms are there. The information is available. And when you’re running a hospitality or alcohol retail business, there are plenty of things competing for your attention.

I recently spoke with someone who had decided to manage their own licensing application.

There was nothing wrong with that decision.

But as we talked through the application, a few things came up that weren’t immediately obvious from the forms themselves.

That’s the part of alcohol licensing that can be easy to underestimate.

Sometimes the issue isn't completing the application.

It’s knowing what to look for before you submit it.

Is there a compliance issue that needs to be addressed?

Is there something about the premises or operating model that could attract questions?

Are the proposed trading hours realistic?

Are the conditions appropriate for how you actually intend to operate?

Is there information that needs to be explained rather than simply provided?

And if an issue does arise, how do you deal with it before it becomes a bigger problem?

A good licensing adviser isn't there just to fill in forms or tell you what you already know.

They're there to help you see the issues you may not know to look for.

Whether you're applying for a new licence or renewing an existing one, having someone who understands the Act, the process, and the practical realities of licensing can make a significant difference.

Sometimes the real value of good advice is what doesn't become a problem later.

26/08/2026

1 in 3 premises failed a recent alcohol compliance check.

That should make every licensee stop and think.

Christchurch City Council and Police recently carried out a Controlled Purchase Operation (CPO) at 15 licensed premises, focusing on the sale of alcohol to minors.

Five premises failed because staff did not take the appropriate steps to request identification or confirm the customer's age.

It is a timely reminder that alcohol compliance training cannot be a one-off exercise.

It is not enough to train staff when they start and assume they know what to do.

Staff need to be confident about:

• When to ask for ID
• What forms of ID are acceptable
• How to refuse a sale
• What to do when they are unsure
• When to involve the duty manager

And those skills need to be reinforced regularly.

For licensees, this is a good opportunity to step back and look at how your premises is actually operating.

Are your staff training and compliance processes working in practice?

Do your staff feel confident refusing a sale?

Are you regularly refreshing their knowledge and checking that your systems are being followed?

Good compliance isn't just about having policies in place. It's about making sure they work when it matters.

Don't wait for a CPO or an inspector to identify a gap in your systems.

If you need help reviewing your alcohol compliance processes or staff training, Pervinder Davies Law can help.

When was the last time you tested your staff on alcohol compliance?



Link to the article in the comments below

24/08/2026