Depending on the type and size of your food business, you will need a Food Control Plan or National Programme.
Food verification fee and MPI food business levy
From 1 July 2025, new fees for food businesses will come into place.
Food verification fee – we will be implementing changes to the way we invoice a food verification fee as we move away from a ratepayer subsidised model to a user-pays model. More information can be found on the Food verification webpage.
MPI food business levy – MPI have introduced legislation that requires all businesses registered under the Food Act 2014 to pay MPI an annual fee. Under this legislation, council is required to collect it on behalf, and you can expect an invoice for this in July 2025 and annually thereafter. For more information, visit the MPI website.
Anyone starting a new food business must register under the Food Act 2014 before they start selling food. If you take over an existing business, you cannot use the existing plan; you must register your own.
To determine which plan applies to your business and the rules you must comply with, you can use the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) tool - My Food Rules.
MPI's webpages provide further information on food control plans, national programmes, and links to resources for food business operators. Visit the MPI website.
Starting a food business
Before starting your business, you will need to register it under the Food Act 2014, but you may also need to obtain a number of other consents or permissions.
Mobile businesses
If you want to operate a mobile food business from the roadside or Council land, you must apply for a mobile trading permit and follow the rules.
Mobile shops
Street dining
If you want to have dining tables on Council land outside your businesses, you will need a street trading permit.
Street dining permit
Alcohol licence
If you want to sell or supply alcohol to your customers, you will need an alcohol licence.
Alcohol licence application
Resource or building consent
All home-based or commercial businesses will need to comply with the rules in the Tauranga City Plan. For further information or to check if you need a resource consent, contact our Environmental Planning team at dutyplanner@tauranga.govt.nz.
If you are changing an existing business or building a new business, you may need a building consent. Contact our Building Services team and buildingduty@tauranga.govt.nz.
Trade waste consent
Most food businesses will discharge trade waste into the sewer system. Find out more on the trade waste webpage.
Fees associated with operating a food business
To understand if your food business will be financially viable, you will need to consider the initial and ongoing costs of operating the food business. These include:
- Registration fee: You will need to pay an initial registration fee and will need to renew the registration every year for food businesses operating under an FCP and every two years for those businesses operating under an NP.
- Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) food business levy: This will be invoiced on registration and generally invoiced annually in July thereafter. We will invoice the food business levy on behalf of MPI and then transfer the money to MPI. More information on the MPI food business levy.
- Verification fee: Your business must be checked for compliance with the FCP or NP within 6 weeks of registration, and you will be invoiced for the time this verification takes. The outcome of the verification will determine how often you are verified in the future. More information on verification frequencies and how verifications are charged.
Tauranga City Council food premises fees
Register a food control plan business
You can apply to register a food business operating under a template food control plan with the Council.
All applications (either new or renewal) need to be undertaken online unless you are applying to register a multisite food business - if so, please use the multisite application form below.
When applying to register a new business you will also need the following information to attach to your application:
- A verification agreement completed and attached to the application. You will find a link to the form below.
- A floor plan of your food business (or in the case of a multisite, showing fixtures and fittings such as cooking areas, sinks, hand basins, storage, benches, refrigeration, etc).
- A menu or list of food items that will be sold.
Once you have completed and submitted your application, you will be invoiced for the initial registration fee. Once that fee has been received by the council, processing of your application will commence. Processing of your application may take up to 20 working days. Your business will not be registered until the processing is complete and you receive your certificate of registration.
Once you are registered, we will send you a copy of the Food Control Plan, or if you prefer, you can download a copy from MPI’s website. The Food Control Plan must be tailored and kept onsite at your food business.
If you have any questions about your applications, you can contact our Environmental Health team on 07 577 7000, and ask for a Health and Licensing Technician or email admineho@tauranga.govt.nz.
Verification information
Register a National Programme business
You can apply to register a single or multisite national programme business with the council, however, if your multisite business operates some sites outside of the Tauranga City area, you may need to register the multisite business with MPI. For more information, please contact our Environmental Health team on 07 577 7000 or email admineho@tauranga.govt.nz.
All applications (either new or renewal) need to be undertaken online unless you are applying to register a multisite food business – if so, please sure the multisite application form below.
When applying to register a new business you will also need the following information to attach to your application.
- A verification agreement completed and attached to the application. A link to the application form can be found below.
- A floor plan of your food business (or in the case of a multisite, each site), showing fixtures and fittings such as cooking areas, sinks, hand basins, storage, benches, refrigeration, etc.).
- A menu or list of food items that will be sold.
- A letter from your nomination verification agency, advising that they have agreed to act as your verification agency.
Note: Tauranga City Council does not act as the verification agency for most NP manufacturers, distributors and transporters. Those businesses will need to engage their own recognised verification agency before applying to register the business. More information on finding a recognised verification agency.
Tauranga City Council will generally act as a verification agency for the following types of food businesses: NP1 coffee carts, NP3 dairies, service stations, cafés, and childcare centres.
If your business is one of the above, you should complete the verification agreement below. If you need more information on whether we can act as your verification agency, contact our Environmental Health team.
Once you have completed and submitted your application, you will be invoiced for the initial registration fee. Once that fee has been received by council, processing of your application will commence. Processing of your application may take up to 20 working days. Your business will not be registered until the processing is complete and you receive your certificate of registration.
If you have any questions about your application, contact our Environmental Health team on 07 577 7000 and ask for a Health and Licensing Technician or email admineho@tauranga.govt.nz.
Verification information
Exemptions
Under the Food Act 2014, some food businesses and community groups are not required to operate under a food control plan or a national programme. For example, you don't need a Food Control Plan or National Programme if you are:
- selling food for fundraising less than 20 times a year. Fundraising activities include sausage sizzles, raffles and charity events
- sharing food with others at sports clubs, social clubs or marae where food is not the purpose of the event. For example, providing nibbles at a bowling club games night or serving food at a tangi.