Local Approved Products Policy (LAPP)

Our Local Approved Products Policy (LAPP) sets out where psychoactive substances (also known as legal highs) can be sold.

What the LAPP does

We aim to grow Auckland into the world’s most liveable city by promoting a safe and healthy Auckland. The LAPP contributes to this by reducing:

the availability of psychoactive substances
the risk of harm that vulnerable people might experience from legal psychoactive substances.

Psychoactive Substances Act

In 2013, the government introduced the Psychoactive Substances Act.

The act sets a framework for the manufacture and sale of licensed substances. New Zealand became the first country in the world to do so.

The act gives local authorities the power to develop a LAPP to decide where these substances can be sold.

The Psychoactive Substances Regulatory Authority is the government body responsible for the issue of licenses for retail outlets.
Decisions to grant licenses will be based on our LAPP together with other criteria detailed in part 2 of the act.

Local restrictions

Auckland city centre

For the city centre, we propose not to grant licences to retail legal psychoactive substances:

in areas of residential deprivation
within 200m of an existing psychoactive substances retail licence.

Auckland general

For all areas of Auckland, apart from the city centre, we will not grant licences to retail legal psychoactive substances:

in areas of high deprivation
in neighbourhood centres
within 500m of a school teaching students years seven and above
within 200m of a school teaching students between years one and six inclusive
within 500m of a mental health or addiction treatment centre
within 500m of an existing psychoactive substances retail licence
within 100m of a marae.

Auckland general restricted areas

For all areas of Auckland, apart from the city centre, we will not grant licences to retail legal psychoactive substances in the following special restricted areas: