A high-profile Wellington hospitality leader has appeared in court on fraud charges.
Matt McLaughlin appeared in the Wellington District Court on Monday where he pleaded not guilty to two charges of obtaining by deception over $1000 and two charges of breaching the Private Security Personnel and Private Investigators Act 2010.
McLaughlin’s business, Hoff Hospitality Group, also faces the same charges. The business was the parent company for local bars Four Kings, Jack Hacketts, Danger Danger, and Dirty Little Secret. However, it’s understood Hoff Hospitality Group sold Four Kings, Jack Hacketts and Dirty Little Secrets several years ago and that McLaughlin is no longer involved in the management of those establishments. He also owns Panhead Tory.
A former Wellington City Council hopeful, McLaughlin has owned bars in the city for many years and has been a vocal proponent for the capital’s hospitality industry. He has previously held the position of Hospitality New Zealand branch president.
He has been a key player in the Pōneke Promise - a social contract between the city’s hospitality industry, retailers, police and councils to take collective action to address safety issues in Wellington’s CBD.