If you would like to trade in a public place you are required to apply to council for a mobile shop licence, unless you only intend to trade as part of an organised market or event.
Mobile shops are vehicles from which goods, not services, are offered for sale. Mobile shops selling food and beverages must also have a registered food control plan or national programme. Council will monitor activities in public places regularly to ensure compliance of licence conditions.
Mobile shops selling food
If you are establishing a new mobile shop or taking over an existing one you will need to register a Food Control Plan or National Programme under the Food Act 2014 (this is in addition to any application for a mobile shop licence in a public place).
Registering a food business
Mobile shop trading areas
Mobile shops can trade at several locations across the city under different restrictions.
Each year council invites mobile shops to tender for a license to trade on certain sites. Please refer to temporary traders licence webpage for information on tendered mobile shop and temporary commercial activities licenses on reserves.
Mobile shops are not permitted to trade and the following prohibited locations:
- Any road administered by Council that has a speed limit of more than 50 km/hr
- Any Reserve or Park without a formed car park
- Off road Council car parks, other than those in reserves
- Cameron Road
- Turret Road
- Waihi Road
- The Strand
- Fraser Street between 11th Avenue and 18th Avenue
- 15th Avenue between Turret Road and Cameron Road
- Commons Avenue between Maunganui Road and Marine Parade
- Grace Avenue between Maunganui Road and Marine Parade
- Marine Parade between Adams Avenue to Grace Avenue, and between Pacific Avenue to Banks Avenue
- Marine Parade between Grace Avenue and Pacific Avenue unless the Mobile Shop Operator has a tendered licence
- The Mall between Salisbury Avenue and Prince Avenue, and between Leinster Avenue and Adams Avenue
- The landward side of The Mall between Prince Avenue and Leinster Avenue
- Salisbury Avenue
- Maranui Street from Sunrise Avenue to Sandhurst Drive
- Pāpāmoa Beach Road from Sandhurst Drive to a point 30 meters east of Coast Boulevard
- Tauranga Domain
- Bethlehem Hall Site
- Cambridge Park
- Matua Park
- May Street Reserve
- Morland Fox Park
- Scout Reserve
- Welcome Bay Hall Site
- Welcome Bay Scout Hall Site
- Blake Park unless the Mobile Shop Operator has a tendered licence
- Memorial Park unless the Mobile Shop Operator has a tendered licence
- Kulim Park unless the Mobile Shop Operator has a tendered licence
- Oceanbeach Road Reserve (Omanu Beach carpark) unless the Mobile Shop Operator has a tendered licence
Also, at some reserves there is a maximum number of mobile shops permitted on a first come basis. See below for the allocated allowances:
Reserve/Park |
Maximum number of mobile shops |
Fergusson Park |
2 |
Carlton Reserve |
2 |
Greerton Park |
2 |
Waipuna Park |
2 |
Links Ave Reserve |
1 |
Macville Park |
1 |
Arataki Park (Zambuk Way car park) |
1 |
Gordon Spratt Reserve |
4 |
Rotary Park |
1 |
Tye Park |
1 |
Pāpāmoa Domain |
2 |
Harrisons Cut |
1 |