Speight's far from 'Pride of the South'

By JAMES GARDINER

Speight's, "Pride of the South," or should it be Pride of Canterbury or Auckland perhaps?

Two beer brands - Tui and Monteith's - are under investigation by the Commerce Commission over allegedly false or misleading labelling on place of origin.

Now Speight's, the traditional Otago thirst-quencher, may follow.

Both the big breweries, DB and Lion, are in the gun.

DB makes Tui at both Tui Brewery, Mangatainoka, and Waitemata Brewery, Otahuhu, but the labelling and marketing suggest that Mangatainoka is the sole source.

DB suffered a humiliating backdown from the closure of its Monteith's Brewery in Greymouth last month after West Coasters threatened a boycott of DB products and drinkers nationwide joined in.

But DB has brewed Monteith's at Waitemata for some time.

It cited the lack of capacity at Greymouth and the growth in demand for Monteith's as one of the reasons for the aborted closure. There are still questions over how much it will actually produce at the reopened Monteith's Brewery.

Lion, which makes Speight's, may be hauled in over alleged misrepresentation.

Although the labels on the cans and bottles suggest that the Speight's Brewery at Dunedin is the source, none of that beer is made there. It all comes from Lion's breweries in Christchurch and Auckland and has done so for at least 13 years.

The commission has already warned Lion over the labelling of Mac's beers, from Nelson, which claim McCashin's is brewed by an independent family brewery. That was the case until Lion bought the Nelson brand in 1999 and last year began leasing the brewery from owners, the McCashin family.

Commission spokesman Vince Cholewa said the complaint that sparked the investigation into Monteith's labelling followed the publicity over the planned closure of the Monteith's Brewery. The Tui investigation was prompted by a Weekend Herald inquiry a fortnight ago and the Speight's complaint was received this week.

"Lion has been warned in relation to McCashin's. DB is being investigated in relation to Tui and Monteith's. The fourth brand, Speight's, we received a complaint about that during the week. That complaint's being assessed."

Lion corporate affairs director Graham Seatter said a decision to change the labelling on the Mac's bottles had been made before the commission inquiry was known about and that was occurring as old label stocks ran out.

"We accept, given that we lease the brewery, that it's a bit misleading to suggest that it's kind of family-owned, even though Terry [McCashin] still owns it. We're obviously dominating things down there by running the place."

He said Lion, which as NZ Breweries bought Speight's in 1923, did not believe its labels were misleading or in breach of the Fair Trading Act.

"We've got a statement of fact saying Speight's beer has been traditionally brewed at the Speight's Brewery since 1876 and that's absolutely true.

"We're surprised that anybody takes from that statement the meaning that the beer in that bottle is brewed in Dunedin."