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Story: Hotels and motels

First liquor licence, 1840

New Zealand came under the jurisdiction of the British Crown in 1840. Hotels selling alcohol had to get liquor licences. The first licence was issued to John Johnson of the Duke of Marlborough Hotel in Kororāreka (Russell) in the Bay of Islands on 30 October 1840.

Using this item

Auckland Council Libraries − Tāmaki Pātaka Kōrero o Tāmaki Makaurau, Sir George Grey Special Collections

Reference: NZMS 346

Permission of Auckland City Libraries Tāmaki Pātaka Kōrero must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

Paul Christoffel, Hotels and motels – Hotels in the 19th century, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/zoomify/21253/first-liquor-licence-1840 (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Paul Christoffel, published 4 March 2010.