Trouble is brewing in the island paradise of Waiheke, as an elderly neighbour of an Irish pub says pumping music and the antics of drunken revellers are making him and his family "nervous wrecks".
Septuagenarian Surfdale resident Sydney Thickpenny said in written evidence to be presented to a licensing committee that he and his family are suffering from psychological problems caused by sleep deprivation from the pumping bass emanating from Malone's.
"Malone's Irish Bar has introduced into our quiet seaside village its version of the wild nightlife of Ibiza, with all the noise and associated drunken anti-social behaviour with none of the checks, balances or boundaries," his submission said.
Ita Malone, who has owned and operated Malone's for 22 years, said she strives to be a good neighbour and looks forward to addressing the neighbour's concerns and the police objections.
Matters were meant to come to a head at a District Licensing Committee hearing on the island on Thursday, where local police, a neighbour and a council inspector were set to oppose Malone's application to renew her liquor licence.
The hearing has been postponed at the request of a party who wanted more time to compile evidence.
An agenda for the aborted hearing and the written evidence of a neighbour who is at his wits end, obtained by the Herald on Sunday, reveals the ructions at the heart of the Surfdale stoush.
Malone, in her latest application, wants to keep her current on-licence hours of 9am to 2am and ditch the weekend 12.30am one-way door policy.
That one-way policy was agreed to five years ago at her previous application, when she obtained the longest opening hours of any on-licence on Waiheke.
The agenda shows police oppose the application as it currently stands and instead want Malone's to shut its doors at 12.30am.
Auckland Council alcohol licensing inspector Ritchelle Roycroft is also opposed to the application and has gone further than police, suggesting a midnight closing.
Roycroft's report said the suburb of Surfdale had high levels of socioeconomic deprivation and alcohol-related harm.
The police's report on the application said Surfdale had long been a problem area for the island's cops.
Several late-night drink driving offences have been linked directly to Malone's, while police had been called to a number of fights at the pub.
A report from Constable Marius Snetler compiled in 2020 listed police calls in relation to Malone's over the previous three years since the 2am closing was introduced.
They included one incident of drink-spiking in 2018, one of fighting and two of drink-driving. The following year was more eventful.
"I saw that in 2019, there were four incidents of fighting, one incident where a patron was trespassed for assaulting a security guard, one incident where a patron outside the premises threatened to kill someone with a machete and one incident where there was no certified manager on duty," Roycroft's report said.
Between 2016 and 2021, there were 49 noise complaints relating to Malone's.
On only two occasions following complaints have noise control officers found the noise to be actually excessive.
"In my experience, the number of noise complaints is considerably higher than average for most taverns," Roycroft said.
"Although noise control officers deemed the noise to be not excessive at most callouts, it is clear that neighbouring residents find the operation of Malone's disruptive."
During her time as alcohol licensing inspector responsible for Waiheke Island, Roycroft said she had heard that DJs blaring music will frequently "plague the residents' quiet enjoyment of their homes" on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.
"After Malone's has closed for the night, residents have said that they continue to hear slamming of car doors, revving of engines, tires squealing, smashing of car windows, people screaming and police sirens.
"Residents have observed anti-social behaviour, with one resident stating that he has seen people laying on the road in the path of oncoming cars and people having sexual intercourse on the bonnets of cars in the nearby public carpark."
Thickpenny's submission opposing the licence runs to 11 pages. It said he has lived in the area for 40 years, building in the island's suburb before the roads were paved.
He lives on Marama Ave above the row of shops continuing the pub, about 150 metres as-the-crow-flies from Malone's.
His submission carries the names of four neighbours on his street.
It describes years of sleepless nights and drunken mayhem as boozed revellers wander home past his house.
"As Malone's patrons disperse up our quiet street, it is as if the drunken thugs are in our living room, such is the noise disruption," Thickpenny said.
He also speaks of public assignations after Malone's shuts its doors.
"The Surfdale community are left with the slamming of car doors. Revving of engines, squealing of tires, cheering of the crowd, wail of police sirens and burglar alarms.
"Couples having sex on the bonnet of cars in the car park.
"The screaming of intoxicated women, the violent raging of intoxicated men, the smashing of car windows, and generally drunken thuggish behaviour, accompanied by filthy language.
"Groups of men laying in the path of oncoming cars, causing them to swerve, sound their horns, only to be sent off with the screaming of filthy abuse."
A video submitted to the committee filmed by Thickpenny captures thumping bass reverberating around the suburb.
"The quality of life for my family, in this once-quiet seaside community, is completely compromised due to the increased and seemingly uncontrolled activities of Malone's Irish Pub."
Thickpenny said his family is suffering from sleep deprivation and its attendant psychological and physical health problems as a result.
"By the time Monday comes my family and myself are nervous wrecks, from the turmoil and lack of sleep.
"Malone's Irish Pub operates without any concern for, or sense of, community."
The hearing agenda notes there were two earlier public objections from neighbours.
These were later withdrawn after Malone met with a representative of the neighbours and agreed to improved communication and better noise monitoring via decibel readers.
Ita Malone said in an emailed statement her pub was a longstanding, valued part of the Waiheke community.
"Ita Malone cares about the Waiheke community, and strives to be a good neighbour and host for Malones Ltd, ensuring patrons entering the premises have a safe and enjoyable social gathering environment where families can dine, relax watch Sky Sports, play pool, listen to live music and dance.
"Malones Limited is looking forward to addressing this single remaining public objectors' concerns and the police objections.
"Because the application is before the District Licensing Committee, Malones do not wish to make any specific comments in relation to them at the moment."
The police's National Dive Squad continued the search today.