The Sale and Supply of Alcohol (Sales on Anzac Day Morning, Good Friday, Easter Sunday, and Christmas Day) Amendment Act 2026 has changed what is possible for cellar doors and winery restaurants on Christmas Day [1].

What Changed, and When

The Sale and Supply of Alcohol (Sales on Anzac Day Morning, Good Friday, Easter Sunday, and Christmas Day) Amendment Act 2026 received Royal assent and came into force on 3 April 2026. The Act updates the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012, removing certain restrictions for specific licence holders on what were previously restricted trading days [1].

The headline changes for on-licence premises — which include winery restaurants, cellar door tasting rooms operating under an on-licence, bars, cafes and hotels — are significant:

On-licence premises can choose to open and sell alcohol as usual on Christmas Day. There is no longer a requirement to restrict service to diners or guests staying on the premises [1].
Customers do not need to be dining or staying on the premises to be served alcohol on these days [1].
On-licence premises no longer need to close at midnight on Christmas Eve before trading begins on Christmas Day (though licensed hours still apply) [1].

For cellar doors operating under an off-licence, the position is also clear: off-licence premises such as bottle stores and supermarkets still cannot sell alcohol on restricted trading days, except cellar doors, which may supply wine made from their own produce on any day of the year. This existing carve-out is unchanged and continues to give winery cellar doors a distinct trading advantage on public holidays [1].

What Still Applies: Licence Conditions and Responsible Service

Opening on Christmas Day is now a choice, not a prohibited act — but that choice comes with every existing licence condition still fully in force. The legislation is explicit: all other licence conditions continue to apply, including requirements relating to minors, intoxication and responsible service, as well as any local alcohol policy requirements [1].

This matters enormously in practice. Local alcohol policies set by your territorial authority — whether that is Marlborough District Council, Hastings District Council, Queenstown Lakes District Council or another — can impose additional conditions on trading hours, signage, or service practices. Because the council page consulted during research did not fully render, wineries should confirm the precise local alcohol policy conditions for their district directly with their licensing inspector or via the Ministry of Justice explainer published at justice.govt.nz.

Practical responsible service considerations for Christmas Day:

Ensure a certified duty manager is on-site and named on the record throughout all trading hours.
Apply your standard age-verification procedures. The rules around minors have not changed.
Brief all staff on intoxication monitoring — the holiday atmosphere can make this discipline easy to let slip.
Review your host responsibility plan and ensure it is current.

Special licences and most club licences are not affected by the new legislation, so if your winery event on Christmas Day requires a special licence, seek guidance from your local licensing inspector well in advance [1].

Planning Staffing and Opening Hours

Opening hours: Your licence still defines your permitted trading window. Review your current licence to confirm exactly when you can open and close. If you wish to trade outside those hours, a variation to your licence would be required — a process that takes time and should be initiated immediately if needed.

Staffing: Christmas Day brings unique staffing challenges. Many team members will have family commitments, and the holiday loading under employment law adds a cost consideration. Build your roster early, confirm availability in writing, and ensure you have at minimum one certified duty manager confirmed for every shift. Consider whether a shorter, high-impact opening window — say, late morning through to late afternoon — serves your visitors and your team better than a full day.

Health and safety: A public holiday means fewer external services are available. Ensure first-aid kits are stocked, emergency contacts are posted, and any food service meets your food safety obligations.

Turning Holiday Visitors into Wine Club Members

Christmas Day visitors are among the most valuable guests a cellar door receives all year. They are often travelling, in a celebratory mood, and open to discovering wines they will want to enjoy long after the holiday. This is a prime opportunity to grow your wine club membership.

A few practical approaches:

Holiday releases: If your winery has been holding a special bottling — a single-vineyard Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, a Hawke's Bay Syrah, or a Central Otago Pinot Noir from a standout block — consider releasing it exclusively at the cellar door on Christmas Day. Scarcity and occasion create purchasing urgency.

Wine club sign-up moments: Train staff to introduce the wine club naturally during the tasting experience, particularly when a visitor expresses strong enthusiasm for a wine. Offer a seamless sign-up process — a tablet, a simple form, or a QR code — so the decision can be made in the moment.

Pick-up orders: For existing members, Christmas Day is an ideal pick-up day. Notify members in advance that their allocation or a special shipment will be ready for collection, and create a dedicated, frictionless pick-up area so the experience feels like a privilege rather than a queue.

After the visit: Capture contact details for non-members who express interest. A follow-up email in the week after Christmas — when the memory of a great day is still fresh — can convert interest into membership.

If you are managing wine tourism bookings, club member tracking, and direct-to-consumer sales in one place, Cepaos offers dedicated Wine Club and Wine Tourism modules that connect member CRM, quarterly shipments, tasting room reservations, and visit KPIs — useful when you are juggling a busy holiday schedule.

Searches like wine club NZ and wine club membership NZ consistently show that New Zealand wine lovers are actively looking for the right cellar door connection. Christmas Day, done well, is one of the most powerful ways to be the answer to that search.

A Quick Pre-Christmas Checklist

Work through the following before opening on Christmas Day:

[ ] Confirm your licence type and permitted trading hours for Christmas Day
[ ] Review your local alcohol policy for any district-specific conditions
[ ] Roster a certified duty manager for all trading shifts
[ ] Brief all staff on responsible service, age verification, and intoxication protocols
[ ] Plan your holiday release or member pick-up offer
[ ] Set up a simple, fast wine club sign-up process
[ ] Prepare a follow-up communication for post-Christmas outreach

This Christmas is a genuine first for New Zealand's wine regions. The legislative change is an opportunity — but the wineries that benefit most will be the ones that plan thoroughly, honour every licence condition, and meet their visitors with both great wine and genuine hospitality.

Ready to manage your cellar door, wine club, and tasting room bookings in one place? Explore Cepaos for New Zealand wineries.

Sources

Changes to alcohol trading rules on restricted days | Whakatāne District Council — whakatane.govt.nz, published 213 days ago. https://www.whakatane.govt.nz/services/environmental-healthlicensing/alcohol-licensing/changes-alcohol-trading-rules-restricted