Rotorua emergency housing motel security: Sale of Tiny Deane’s Tigers Express Security firm falls over

Rotorua's Tiny Deane and his security business face a final Private Security Personnel Licensing Authority hearing this month. Photo / Andrew Warner

The sale of a controversial government-funded security firm that looks after Rotorua emergency housing motels has fallen over and owner Tiny Deane will face a licensing authority to decide his and the company’s future.

The Private Security Personnel Licensing Authority found Deane and his security business, Tigers Express Security, guilty of misconduct in June but it put off handing down penalties until after August 20 to allow Deane time to sell the security business to lessen the impact on its 50 staff.

The deadline for the sale was delayed four times to allow time to make the sale. The authority told the Rotorua Daily Post at the end of last month it “reluctantly” granted a final adjournment to advise if the business had sold to October 31 and the hearing would go ahead on November 15.

The proposed buyer, private investigator Terry Reardon, told the Rotorua Daily Post on Thursday that he had withdrawn from buying the business. He did not want to comment further.

Deane told the Rotorua Daily Post in a written statement that he was working on finding another buyer and he hoped to complete a sale before the hearing date to ensure the roles of staff were secure.

The authority ruled cancelling or suspending the Tigers Express security licence would have serious consequences for staff and clients because it was the only provider of security guards for Visions of a Help Hand, a charitable trust Deane is also the chief executive of that is contracted by the Government to look after emergency housing motels.

The authority criticised Deane for being at the helm of both businesses because it was a conflict with the Government’s requirement for a clear separation between social support and security services.

It said it was likely to suspend or cancel the licence unless Deane could provide evidence he was no longer involved in managing its security work, among other conditions.

The authority found Deane engaged two security guards — who he knew were linked to gangs — without proper security licences and allowed them to work after their licence applications were declined.

It said his “failures and misconduct” meant he was “not suitable to be the managing director and sole officer of a security company”.

Deane stepped down from his role at Visions following the authority’s ruling but resumed his role on August 21.

The authority will hold a final hearing to discuss the penalty for Deane and the business on November 15.

Kelly Makiha is a senior journalist who has reported for the Rotorua Daily Post for more than 25 years, covering mainly police, court, human interest and social issues.