Hospo NZ hails “commonsense” regulation changes
Hospitality New Zealand is welcoming the Government’s speedy acceptance of several recommendations from the recently released Hospitality Sector Review.
The action comes just days after the Ministry for Regulation released the Review, which recommended a raft of changes to improve rules and regulations for hospitality businesses. The initial changes relate to improving food safety regulations, noise controls and the provision of courtesy vans.
The food safety regulation changes include putting hospitality businesses into food safety categories proportionate to the level of risk with which they operate, creating a hospitality-specific Food Control Plan, reducing record-keeping requirements where they don’t contribute to food safety, and removing recurring registration renewals.
Kristy Phillips, Hospitality NZ CEO, says: “We have been clear for a number of years about the pressures and challenges hospitality businesses face when interacting with the regulatory system.
“Creating a simpler, hospitality-specific Food Control Plan, including reducing record-keeping requirements, supports the day-to-day operation of hospitality businesses, while extending verification periods for high-performing businesses rewards those who have consistently performed well.
“We would also expect improving fee-setting arrangements at a local government level will reduce compliance costs for operators.”
The Government has also announced it is making a rule change to make it easier for hospitality businesses to offer drop-off services for patrons and will standardise the way in which excessive noise is dealt with across the country with a new planning system.
Hospitality NZ says that noise complaints related to inner city and late-night venues have been increasing and sometimes come from neighbours who have moved into the area after a venue has already been established. It says this results in warnings and confiscations of sound equipment by councils, and extends to requirements for sound proofing of buildings, early closure of outdoor areas and ultimately lost business.
“As part of the Hospitality Summit Report, we have called for an introduction of reverse sensitivity clauses for residential developments in nightlife precincts,” says Kristy Phillips. “Reverse sensitivity clauses would protect venues operating in built up urban entertainment areas.
“We hope the new planning system will address some of the inconsistency we have been seeing across the regulatory system and allow inner-city venues to provide their guests with experiences that will add to the vibrancy of cities and support the night-time economy.”
