Ngā utu mō te rēhitatanga kai me te raihana waipiro Food registration and alcohol licence fees and charges

From 1 July 2025 your food registration fees will include the Food Business Levy.

• All fees include GST.
• All fees including the Food Business Levy are non-refundable.
• The fees listed are indicative pricing only and can change.

These costs may vary depending on the level of risk involved in your food business.

We calculate registration fees on a set minimum time.

When you may be charged more

• We will charge you an hourly fee for any time you use beyond the minimum set time at your registration and verification appointment.
• We will charge for all corrective follow-up work we do after the initial appointment, including getting information and travelling to the site, in 30-minute blocks.
• We may charge extra hourly fees if you cancel an appointment at short notice or if we are unable to finish the food business verification.

Visit Apply for food registration for more information.

Options for operating a food business

Food businesses can operate under either:

• a Food Control Plan (template or custom)
• a National Programme.

Food registration and verification fees

All registered food businesses must be verified by a recognised verification agency.

Not all the fees listed may apply to you. You might also need to pay other charges.

Verification fees shown are base fees. Full costs may be more depending on our follow up activities.

Central government introduced the Food Business Levy in 2024.

The levy is an annual charge that came into effect on 1 July 2025. It applies to all food businesses.

As your registration authority, we will:

• collect the levy on behalf of the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI)
• transfer the levy directly to MPI.

If you do not pay the levy on time, we will forward your debt to MPI. MPI may also apply penalties including interest charges.

We will charge the levy every year for food businesses that run under a National Programme or a Food Control Plan. The levy applies every year regardless of your registration renewal date.

Your total registration or renewal fee will include:

• the council's registration or renewal fee
• the annual Food Business Levy
• the $12.65 Food Business Levy collection fee.

If you run a food business with multi-site registration Multi-site registration for a food business allows a business to register all its locations under a single application to ensure compliance with food safety standards. , the way we apply the levy will depend on the type of registration.

The levy will be phased in over three years.

Outdoor dining licence charges depend on the location and size of the area involved.

Use our outdoor dining fee calculator to estimate the cost.

You need to pay an application fee when you apply for a new licence or when you renew a licence.

If the application is granted, you must pay an annual fee before we can issue the licence. The annual fee must be paid every year.

After the first year, you must apply to renew your alcohol licence every three years.

These fees are set by the government and not by the council.

Estimate the cost of your alcohol licence

The cost of an alcohol licence for on-licence, A licence that allows the sale or supply of alcohol for consumption on the premises. off-licence A licence to sell alcohol which will be consumed off the business premises. and a club licence Allows the sale and consumption of liquor to club members, guests of club members, and members of clubs with reciprocal visiting rights. all vary depending on different factors.

Use our online calculators to estimate the cost involved and understand your businesses risk category:

• Alcohol on-licence fee calculator
• Alcohol off-licence fee calculator
• Alcohol club licence fee calculator.​

Your risk category depends on your type of business, opening hours and whether you have been fined or prosecuted for breaching your licence conditions before.

This licence fee depends upon the size and number of proposed events.

Use our alcohol special licence fee calculator to estimate the cost.

Visit Apply and pay for your manager's certificate for more information.

Visit Apply and pay for an alcohol temporary authority for more information.

Visit Apply for alcohol licensing building and planning certificates for more information.