For centuries, restaurants, cafés, bars, event venues and accommodation operators have thrived on welcoming guests, promoting memorable experiences and overall wellbeing. This is evident in recent post-lockdown research.
Findings revealed that two-thirds of those surveyed said the social and mental wellbeing of the general population was negatively impacted as a direct result of the closure of hospitality venues during the COVID-19 lockdowns. Meanwhile, a similar number said that after lifting restrictions, they had a better appreciation for the sector’s contribution to their own social and mental wellbeing. Nearly half of the participants agreed that socialising with friends and family outside the home once restrictions were lifted significantly impacted their happiness.
These statistics confirm what the industry has known for a long time - hospitality is vital to the New Zealand social fabric.
With that, and caring for guests and the community in mind, Hospitality New Zealand has launched a course to ensure staff working where alcohol is served are trained in responsible service to support harm minimisation.
The Responsible Service of Alcohol Standards course is an industry-led initiative in which everyone in licensed premises – operators, managers, and servers – has a part to play.
It is part of host responsibility, which is integral to manaakitanga – respect and care for our guests and customers – and aims to minimise alcohol harm to help create safer drinking and work environments for communities and staff via the training and empowering of employees in responsible sale and supply.
Minimising harm and providing safer environments for the sale and supply of alcohol is a priority for the industry. As the industry peak body, Hospitality NZ is taking the lead with this essential training.
The course covers the duty of care and harm minimisation required under the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act. It includes the law around alcohol, host responsibilities, and the tools for carrying out those responsibilities.
It is about raising the standard and doing this best practice as developed by the industry, not because the Government, the law, or lobby groups are telling us to do this – but because it is something we believe in. It is also part of caring for our staff. We want them to work on premises where everything is safer, they are well equipped, trained, and confident, and everything is better for them.
As responsible hosts, it is our duty of care to look after everyone – including our staff.
By providing standardised training, Hospitality NZ supports operator businesses to raise the bar as we work together to build a skilled workforce.
Developing these skills and acknowledging the value of minimising harm will contribute to a capable and engaged workforce rooted in community wellbeing.
For easy accessibility, the course is available online as a series of video lessons on Hospitality NZ’s e-learning platform Typsy, ensuring standardised training is delivered consistently when and where it is needed.
Having the course online also offers the advantage of digital record keeping for operator compliance and the provision of digital certificates for employees. Once completed, participants receive a certificate that will be recognised throughout the hospitality sector. It can be stored along with other training achievements on participants' individual digital Knowledge Passport, which follows them as they progress through their careers.
Hospitality NZ firmly believes this course should be a recognised national minimum standard to achieve standardisation and intends to push for that.
