On this page you’ll find official support and information - where to go to, who to contact and how to get help planning your event.

Living with Covid-19 and potentially other future pandemics, it’s important that your event plan responds to the unforeseen and unpredictable times we live in. From scenario planning, risk management to crisis management, this page enables you to access two important documents: a comprehensive and useful resource, Building Resilient Events, as presented by Terri van Schooten, from Verve; and NZ Crowded Places Strategy. Links to these two documents are listed below under Risk Management.

Once the date for your event is confirmed, Local Councils are the next stop in your planning, as your event may need to comply with Council requirements and this can take time to process. For example, licenses and consents could be needed if your event falls into one of the following categories (examples only):

Outdoor Event, such as a wine and food festival
Street Festival, such as a Christmas parade, or a car rally
Music Festival in a vineyard
Street Market or Fair
Charity Ball, or Trade Show in the Town Hall.

Dependent on where your event is located, there are four governing Councils in the Wairarapa area. Once you know the location, it is important to contact the right department in the relevant Council. Each Council can advise you on how to apply for (and the cost of) consents you may need i.e. for Liquor Licensing; Traffic Management; Building Consents (i.e.tent size, stage height); and Resource Consents (i.e. noise control, signage). Allow plenty of time to comply with Council requirements and ask questions - they are there to help.

If your event is booked in an established venue, such as a hotel or motel, it is likely that Council requirements have already been met and you probably won’t need to do anything further.

Once your venue or event site is sorted, see the maps below to find out which Council to contact.

Tararua District Council map

Masterton District Council map

Carterton District Council map

South Wairarapa District Council map

Each Council also has venues for hire within their areas. Check out the Venues listings for further details.

When considering when to hold your event, bear in mind that accommodation throughout the Wairarapa is booked well in advance, so we would recommend that you research accommodation options in the early stages of planning (see Accommodation). It would be well worth contacting the team at one of the local i-SITE outlets, to assist with accommodation, in particular for larger events.

Local Councils

Building Consent

Depending on the size and nature of your event, it’s possible that a building consent will be required for certain structures. Consents may be required for:

• Tents or marquees over 100m2 being used for less than one month

• Tents or marquees under 100m2 being used for longer than one month

• Platforms or staging over 1.5m high

• Portable buildings.

Contact the relevant Local Council to determine if your event needs a consent and, if so, ask for all the building consent application information and costs. A building consent approval takes up to 20 working days and cannot be processed unless all relevant information is provided.

Food Registration

Who needs to apply? You will need to apply for a food licence if you or any food vendors will be preparing food on the premises or selling food at your event. Contact the Environmental Health Office (or equivalent) at each Council for more information. Allow at least 40 days prior to your event to submit what is required. If you have contracted a catering company, food truck outlet, restaurant or hotel to supply catering at your event, then check with them, as it is likely that they will already hold the appropriate licence to provide food at your event. For a list of Wairarapa suppliers, see Directory.

For information on the trading of goods and services in public places, see the Wairarapa Consolidated Bylaw 2019.

Grants & Funding

Wellington Regional Events Fund, the Regional Events Fund was developed as part of the New Zealand Government’s Tourism Recovery Package in response to COVID-19’s impact on international tourism. The purpose of this fund is to support events that will drive domestic visitation and spend to the Wellington region; encouraging expenditure missed by international visitors. Find out more.

Regional Councils sometimes have event grants and funding available at certain times of year. For example, Masterton Council offers a Community Events Fund for events that will attract people to the Masterton area. To find out more about the requirements and to applying for funding, see
Masterton Council

Carterton Council

Funding is also available through Wairarapa local funding providers, such as Trust House Community Enterprise and
Eastern & Central Community Trust

Creative and Cultural Events Incubator

Health & Safety (H&S) Plan

Your event may need to meet certain obligations under the Health and Safety at Work Act and associated regulations. An example of where this would apply would be if you are organising an outdoor festival. Having a Health and Safety Plan is a requirement under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 (HSWA). It’s important for any event to have a Health and Safety Plan for all employees, volunteers and suppliers, that looks at all aspects of keeping attendees safe and well while at the event. Such a plan should also include an evacuation plan in case of an emergency.

Once you’ve completed the plan it’s important to share it with your team, volunteers etc. Some event suppliers will have their own H&S plan, in particular if they are delivering marquees, toilets, a music stage etc. Ask for a copy of their plan, read through and keep on file for reference.

There are official guidelines to assist you in writing your event health and safety plan. Checklists and resources can be found at New Zealand Major Events.

In addition, here is a Health and Safety Plan template for larger events/festivals.

Areas to consider and include in your event plan may include, for example:-

Who is in charge of first aid at your event?

Where are the emergency exits?

Is there wheelchair access?

What happens if there’s a significant earthquake - who’s in charge? Where does everyone go?

What’s the access like at the venue for delivering additional portable toilets?

Liquor Licensing

Masterton Council
Carterton Council
South Wairarapa Council (Greytown/Martinborough/Featherston)
Tararua Council (Pahiatua/Dannevirke/Eketahuna/Woodville)
Alcohol.org.nz (resources and templates)

Who needs to apply? You will need to apply for a special licence to sell alcohol at a one-off event or series of events. For further clarification on what’s required for your event, contact the licensing inspector at the relevant Council (the location of your event determines which Council you need to apply to. See the intro at the top of this page to determine the relevant Council). In all cases the organisation or individual selling the alcohol (receiving the proceeds) must be the holder of the special licence and must make the application. There is a fee to pay for the license dependent on the size of the event.

A special licence is required when:
1. A licensed premises is holding an event which is outside the usual or regular activities of the premises (i.e. is not a continuation of normal business, for example a charity mid-Winter ball that may go beyond the normal licensed hours).
2. Someone is holding an event where they are selling or supplying alcohol. This includes ticketed events where alcohol is supplied and may include events on conveyances such as buses.
3. A manufacturer, distributor or importer of alcohol products is selling alcohol at an event (e.g. a market).

A visual guide to who needs a special license

Planning an event where alcohol will be sold? An important guide from alcohol.org.nz

How long does it take for the application to be processed? Allow at least 20 working days before the date of the event. Police, a Medical Officer of Health, and an Alcohol Licensing Inspector (the agencies) will all report on the application. The agencies consider the criteria under the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012. If you are planning a major ticketed event with large crowds, the application process could take up to 75 working days. In this case, apply for your license in advance of selling tickets.

The Act requires the holder of a manager’s certificate to be present and responsible for the sale of alcohol under the licence at the event. However, the District Licensing Committee may exempt the holder of the special licence from that requirement if some other suitable nominated person will be responsible for the sale of alcohol. It will be dependent on the nature of your event and the person nominated.

Will you need an Alcohol Management Plan (AMP) and what is it? Where a special licence is sought for an event that involves a significant number of people or has a particular public component, the Police, Medical Officer of Health, and Alcohol Licensing Team may require additional detailed information. You may be asked for an AMP. This plan lays out how you will manage alcohol and minimise any alcohol-related harm. It is a very important document. Think about who needs to be involved in drafting the plan – you should probably involve all those who will have roles in implementing the plan as they will have a good idea about what will or won’t work. A guide to managing alcohol at large events, including a template for preparing an Alcohol Management Plan (AMP).

What’s a Safe Zone and does my event need one? A large event with alcohol will require a Safe Zone(or several Safe Zones) as part of an AMP, providing a safe place for intoxicated patrons. A guideline from Alcohol.org to help you plan and provide a Safe Zone can be accessed here.

What about BYO? In general, BYO is permitted at private functions such as weddings and birthdays. A Special Licence generally is not required for this type of function. For other events, BYO may not be a permitted activity (i.e. is unlawful). An alcohol licence might be required and it is always best to make sure by contacting the relevant Council.

Public spaces, such as The Martinborough Square for example, could require liquor ban signage to be installed for some events.  Make sure you talk to the local Council about providing liquor ban signs for you to install at your event.

Resource Consent

Your event may require resource consent if your event will:

• Operate outside the hours of 7am and 10pm

• Run for more than five days (separate or consecutive) in any six-month period

• Use amplifiers or sound systems

• Have extra lighting

• Have signs on other sites.

Contact the relevant Council and talk with the Planning Department. A notified resource consent (if required) can take three months or more so it’s important to contact the Council early in your planning. If you know you need a resource consent, for SWDC, Carterton and Masterton Councils, download the Resource Consent Application Form and get started.

Covid-19 Risk Management

Living with Covid-19 in 2020 has certainly had its challenges and none more so than in the event space. It’s important that your event plan responds to all risks; the unforeseen and the unpredictable. From scenario planning, risk management to crisis management, there are two important documents for your consideration:

A comprehensive and useful resource is Building Resilient Events, a presentation under copyright by Terri van Schooten from Verve.
If you require further assistance, you can contact Terri on 027 481 1117, or email terri@verve.co.nz
www.verve.co.nz

Resources from Destination Wairarapa’s Event Workshop with Cathy Knowsley & Meg Williams from Tāwhiri:
- Event Communications
- Postponement & Cancellation Plans

The New Zealand Major Events website has information in relation to Covid-19 and provides regular updates, recognising that Events could be a transmission risk if COVID-19 community transmission re-emerges. Keep in touch with their updates here.

NZ Event Sector Voluntary Code. This Code has been developed to outline best practice behaviours to prevent/minimise COVID-19 risks and impact, including a key function around record keeping to support Ministry of Health contact tracing processes. This voluntary code:
- Outlines what the Events Sector can do to safely deliver Events by following best practice expectations, which are based on Ministry of Health guidance to reduce COVID-19 related risks
- Will enable the Events Sector to appropriately support the Ministry of Health to contact trace if an outbreak of COVID-19 were to occur

NZ Crowded Places Strategy. The New Zealand Government has developed this strategy (current as at Sept 2020) to help owners and operators of crowded places protect the lives of people working in, using and visiting their crowded space. The nature of crowded places means they pose extra risks to people, as they can be a target for attacks. Everyone has a role to play in keeping crowded places safe, whether they are government officials, owners and operators of crowded places, community organisers or members of the public.

Road Closures & Traffic Management

Depending on whether your event is to be held on, or near to, public roads ( including major highways) and pedestrian areas, you may require a Traffic Management Plan (TMP). A TMP is usually required for planned events that vary the normal operating conditions of the road. If your event requires management of traffic and pedestrians, and/or the temporary closure of the road, then you will require to provide a TMP. Your plan will need to be submitted to the Infrastructure and Services Department (or equivalent) at the relevant Council.

If your event takes place on a State Highway or major road, contact NZTA for further assistance. See here for NZTA guidelines for temporary traffic management at events.

Note that if you do require a TMP at your event, it is more than likely you will require a number of volunteers on the day to assist with traffic management.

Depending on the nature of your event, you may need professional assistance with writing a TMP. There are traffic management specialists who can assist. See Directory.

Additional Resources

Take a look here for more resources and information.