Waikato’s Five Stags Restaurant and Bar has liquor licence declined

Five Stags Pirongia has had its alcohol licence declined. Photo / Dean Taylor

For 154 years, there has been a pub called the Alexandra Hotel serving drinks at the same corner location in Pirongia, but now that could change.

Now operating as the Five Stags Restaurant and Bar, the application for a renewal of an on licence for the pub has been declined.

The failed bid to renew the licence means alcohol cannot be served on site from May 19. The operator, Night Pearl (2021) Ltd, has already surrendered its off licence.

The decision was made on Monday by the Waipā District Licensing Committee, an independent body appointed under the 2012 Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act.

Night Pearl applied in February last year to renew the licence, with a hearing held in September 2023.

At that hearing, the District Licensing Committee heard there were anomalies in the area the operator believed were licensed.

The licensee, Nora Fu, who is also the sole shareholder, was told the front outside areas could not be used to consume alcohol until a licence variation was granted.

The committee deferred the matter until February this year so the applicant could provide more information.

At that hearing, the committee heard from licensing inspector Maddison Berry that Fu had breached licence conditions and the act since the first hearing.

Those breaches were continuing to use the outside areas without an appropriate licence in place until mid-December 2023, operating with an uncertificated manager on duty, and failing to maintain the manager’s register.

The committee also heard from Senior Sergeant David Hall that a police-controlled purchase operation had been conducted and alcohol was allegedly sold to a minor who was not asked for age identification.

The minor was allegedly allowed to sit outside the licensed area to consume the alcohol.

Fu told the Te Awamutu Courier she was saddened by the decision and understood it would be a loss to the community if the pub closed.

She believed she had operated the pub in the same way as previous owners, by allowing patrons to drink at the outside tables that were in place when she purchased the business.

“I don’t know why the application was declined, it seems unfair.

“I haven’t decided whether to appeal.

“I need time to think.”

Pirongia councillor and Pirongia Ward Committee chairwoman Clare St Pierre said the news had come as a shock to the village.

“It is a tradition that residents can sit outside and enjoy the sun and the view of the mountain over summer while sharing a drink with friends.”

“It will be missed if the pub closes.

“Hopefully, the matter can be resolved, otherwise it will be very disappointing for locals and visitors alike.”

In its decision, the committee found the licensee had received help from two licensing inspectors, the police and the secretary of the Waipā District Licensing Committee, however, “there appears to be an ongoing disregard for the assistance given or an inability to understand the obligations of a licensee”.

The committee was not confident that Fu understood the obligations of a licensee under the act or the conditions of the licence and ruled that renewing the licence would be “contrary to the object of the act”.

Karl Tutty, manager compliance Waipā District Council, said any District Licensing Committee decision can be appealed to the Alcohol Regulatory and Licensing Authority, so the applicant might need to take independent advice and take that option.

He said the decision not to renew the licence was specific to Night Pearl Ltd, but nothing prevented another entity from applying for a licence provided they met the criteria of the act.

Dean Taylor is a community journalist with more than 35 years of experience and is editor of the Te Awamutu Courier and Waikato Herald.

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