Food, alcohol and health issues

Report issues about food, alcohol and health including unsanitary businesses or properties (a dirty business, you have become ill) or businesses operating illegally.

Contact us on 0800 932 463 or 09 430 4200 (24 hours a day) if you have an urgent issue.

We will respond to issues reported online outside of our business hours (8:30am to 4:30pm, Monday to Friday) on the next working day.

Food licence issues

You can let us know:

  • if you believe a food business has made you ill
  • if you believe a food business is breaking the rules
  • if you already hold a food licence and have invoicing or certificate queries.

Report a food licence issue

Any person or business that sells food needs to be registered under the Food Act 2014. To register a new business or for more information on starting a new business please see this information:

Food premises

Health and alcohol licence breach

From time to time businesses operate in the Whangārei District without registration or outside of the rules. This could include:

  • bars operating without a licence or outside of their hours
  • hairdressers operating from home without a registration
  • funeral directors operating without a registration
  • camping grounds operating without registration
  • offensive trades operating without registration
  • businesses selling on roadside without registration or a stall licence. 

If you believe a business is unregistered or operating outside of the rules please let us know so we can send an officer to investigate.

Report a health or alcohol licence breach

Unsanitary businesses and properties

Please let us know if you believe a food, beauty therapy, tattooing or piercing business is dirty or has made you ill, and we will investigate. 

We will also investigate unsanitary properties such as:

  • smelly compost heap that attracts flies and rats to an area
  • rubbish which is not put out for collection
  • shellfish, including kina, left on the ground to rot rather than being buried.

Report an unsanitary health issue

Please note:  air quality and odour issues, chemical pollution and water pollution, are all dealt with by the Northland Regional Council.>

Northland Regional Council Environmental Hotline (nrc.govt.nz)

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