Tinui Bar and Cafe has been granted a shorter renewal of its liquor licenses after the owner’s suitability was called into question by the council’s licensing inspector.
At a compliance visit to the rural Masterton pub earlier this year, the venue owner’s behaviour towards the police attending was seen as rude and inappropriate by the licensing inspector.
The official alcohol compliance inspection report said the pub owner was observed “making a sign with his finger” towards a police senior constable and saying words to the effect of “police are no friends of mine”.
The visit had followed an incident in December where a group was refused entry to the pub and a fight broke out.
The pub was closed to patrons at the time.
A police incident report was filed weeks later to an alcohol harm prevention officer but the pub owner said it had misrepresented him and what had happened that night.
The pub’s on- and off-licence renewal applications were not opposed by police, the Medical Officer of Health, or the public.
At a district licensing committee hearing in August, licensing inspector Dave Gallagher said if the committee renewed the pub’s licences for a full three-year period, “the object of the [Sale and Supply of Alcohol] Act could be ignored and the potential for harm continue”.
While the decision to renew the licences rested with the committee, he stated that a full renewal would not be of benefit to the applicant or the wider community.
Should the Committee decide to renew the licences, he submitted that a truncated period of 18 months would be appropriate in this case, coupled with regular visits by the agencies that would provide the applicant with ample opportunity to comply with the Act.
Gallagher said the Tinui Bar and Cafe was an integral hub of the community and that it would be a disservice to the community and the pub owner to just take their licence.
He said the pub owner needed to be given the opportunity to have “another bite at the cherry, but not for the full three years”.
A recently-released decision from the Masterton District Licensing Committee said the committee “concurred” with the licensing inspector’s submission and agreed to “effectively extend the probationary period to another 18 months to give the applicant an opportunity to demonstrate they are operating a good, licensed business”.
“The committee reminds the applicant to expect regular compliance visits from the licensing inspectors and the police, and places on record that if there are any breaches of the Act, the committee may not provide a positive outcome on future applications,” the decision said.
The truncated renewal of the pub’s licences extends to August 28, 2026.
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