Minors were able to buy alcohol at five Tauranga bars and restaurants caught in a sting operation.
Police and the Tauranga City Council led the operation last Friday, visiting 16 licensed venues in Tauranga, Mount Maunganui and Pāpāmoa.
Five failed a compliance check by selling alcohol to a minor, the council said in a media release today.
Previous operations had primarily targeted off-licence premises such as bottle stores, grocery stores and supermarkets.
In the latest operation, the minor was able to buy alcohol and sit down at the venue, providing another opportunity to check their age.
“Staff did not take appropriate steps to request identification or confirm the patron’s age and admitted to inspectors they assumed the individual was over 18 years of age and legally able to purchase alcohol.”
The council’s chief licensing inspector, Sam Kemp, said they were surprised and disappointed by the operation’s failure rate.“We had expected that there would be much better compliance from these types of establishments and it’s really disappointing that we have seen these failures from these five premises.”
Kemp said there were “clear deficiencies between legal obligations and good practice and the actual behaviour” on age checks.
Kemp said while it was not a legal requirement to verify the age of any patron who appears to be under 25, licensed premises should consider it good practice.
This was a good reminder for venues to ensure staff were properly trained and vigilant about meeting the requirements of the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act.
Tauranga alcohol licensing inspectors would discuss the failures with the relevant parties and lodge suspension applications with the Alcohol Regulatory and Licensing Authority.
The council would seek suspensions for both the managers on duty when the breaches happened, and the licences of the bars and restaurants that failed to meet their legal obligations.
The council declined to name the premises involved at this stage as the matters were being prepared for enforcement action.
Kemp said the council would continue to run operations to test compliance, ensure public safety and minimise alcohol related harm.
Similar stings last year resulted in several bottle stores and a supermarket being caught selling alcohol to minors – suspensions followed and a tavern and bottle store in Welcome Bay closed after losing their licences.
Kemp said at the time there had been a significant increase in compliance failures in recent years.
5 comments
Alcohol
Posted on 10-06-2026 16:20 | By LyricalSoul
For years now I have felt that the age to purchase alcohol should be 21years, & not under that. I also feel dairies, small outlets, & supermarkets, should not be able to sell alcohol, it should only be available in the big outlets, & even then they should not be open 7 days a week or open @ 10am, this only makes it easier for the addicted & homeless to get.
I further strongly believe that businesses should not only be fined, but it should mean instant closure, it is time to get serious & tougher about this issue.
What a croc!
Posted on 10-06-2026 17:54 | By Cynical Me
Some departments could easily be got rid of.
All around the world, these things happen, but the wozers and jobworths here want to control everyone. Hospitality has taken a hidding from policies like this. 400 gone in the last year, and even the sevens were eliminated by this type of person bothering.
Pollies have a lot to answer for. Too many with too little to do.
It seems that Mr Plod also has nothing better to do, despite meth use here in the Bay skyrocketing, theft at a high level, burgs at a high level, cameras everywhere, no one caught but they are piddling around doing this stuff.
Not a good use of ratepayers or taxpayers money at all.
booze and its mates
Posted on 11-06-2026 11:44 | By terminal
Cynical Me you have hit the nail right on its head.... there are those that love controlling us
We have lost or is that the controllers have taken the ability to make our own choises in this country , a true nanny state
@Terminal
Posted on 11-06-2026 17:50 | By morepork
I read the interaction between you and Cynical Me a couple of times. I understand the basis of it; there certainly ARE administrators who are too keen on control.
But neither of you seemed to balance it by looking at the other side.
In order for control to be relaxed, there needs to be some assurance that people will behave like grown-ups and not NEED strict control.
Based on your own obseration of people taking drugs and/or alcohol, would you say that such responsibility is evident?
When addiction is increasing and drunkenness is also on the up, are you OK with gentler enforcement and more relaxed implementation of the Law?
It isn't as if they are all happy drunks/addicts; some of these people, when out of their skins, can be a serious danger to the community. And not just when they opt to drive a car...
Looks Can Be Deceiving
Posted on 11-06-2026 19:54 | By Yadick
How old do these minors actually look. I have a Bangladesh family nextdoor to me and their Son is only at Intermediate and could easily grow a mustache far quicker and better than me. I was shocked to find out he's not even at college.
On the other side of us we have a lady and her kids smoking weed, doing meth, selling. I've notified the Police many times especially as their mates are there doing the same, literally staggering into the street and driving off. Her kids only on new Learner plates. Nothing, nothing at all gets done. Very disappointing. Although a minor (probably just) can get a business busted (although by law the business busts itself)
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