‘We’ve had enough’: Wellington bar owners band together to fight opposition to liquor licenses

The corner of Courtenay Place and Blair St. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Wellington bar owners have banded together to fight opposition to their liquor licenses and have warned the future of the city’s nightlife strip is at stake.

They claim police, Te Whatu Ora, and Wellington City Council are picking them off one by one and are blaming bars for social issues on Courtenay Place.

In August the Herald reported El Barrio and Vinyl owner Greig Wilson had been fighting for weeks to open his new cocktail bar, Saint Diablo, but faced months of delays thanks to the decision granting the liquor licence being appealed.

“These agencies have no regard whatsoever for the commercial realities of business,” Wilson said at the time.

Now, businesses have met Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau to vent their frustrations about the “negativity” of these agencies preventing the hospitality sector from creating a more fun and safe space.

Whanau said she intends to meet Te Whatu Ora and police to advocate for a clear and consistent approach to licensing.

Bar owners have also launched a campaign called Courtenay Live as part of a more concerted effort to fight the opposition. More details about the campaign are expected to be revealed in the coming weeks.

Wellington Mayor Whanau said she intends to meet Te Whatu Ora to discuss the approach to alcohol licensing. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Wilson said they’ve had enough.

“They oppose our licence applications on grounds that are incorrect, misleading and trivial. They appeal justified decisions with petty reasons, to cost us money and time.

“They trawl through paperwork looking to cross rather than tick, they prowl streets looking for things wrong, not what can be made right.”

The National Public Health Service’s medical officer of health, Dr Stephen Palmer, has previously commented on the wrangle over Saint Diablo’s liquor licence.

The Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012 introduced a framework intended to restrict rather than relax drinking laws, he has said.

“Our main concern for liquor licences in the entertainment centre of the central city is the persistent high levels of alcohol-related harm experienced by residents of central Wellington. Compared to other cities in New Zealand this high level of harm is only eclipsed by Auckland, however, that city has a much larger population base,” he said.

Alcohol-related cases in emergency departments and admissions to hospitals are just the tip of the iceberg in terms of harm, he said.

“Once a new licence is approved, it is our experience that it is almost impossible to take the licence away. It is better to make the right decision at the beginning, rather than committing years of effort to take the licence away once issued.”

Whanau said a thriving hospitality sector is a key priority for her as mayor.

“While it is not my role to get involved in individual licence applications, I do understand the concerns raised by our hospitality sector about the timeliness and process of decision-making.

“I intend to meet Police and Te Whatu Ora to discuss the approach to alcohol licensing and advocate for a clear and consistent approach to licensing that fits with our vision for a safe and vibrant Courtenay Place.”

Whanau said she has also asked council staff to work with the sector on how to improve alcohol licensing processes.

A police spokesperson said they took into account several factors when forming a view on liquor licences, including the potential for alcohol harm to arise from the premises.

They noted it was the District Licensing Committee (DLC) that granted licences, not the three agencies.

“Where an application is opposed the DLC will schedule a public hearing to determine the matter and it is anticipated that they will do so in this instance.

“At licensing hearings all parties, including the applicant, are able to present evidence and make associated submissions on the application.”

Bar owner Jose Ubiaga said he has had licences for three of his venues opposed by police and Te Whatu Ora.

“The negative approach of these agencies to licensing makes more venues and variety very unlikely.

“It’s too hard and costly to set up a venue, and too challenging to run one with the cold dead hand of these agencies on your shoulder.”

Ubiaga said closed businesses, increased homelessness, and emergency housing were behind social issues in central Wellington.

“I do take offence when the agencies blame me for the state of Courtenay Place.”

Ubiaga claimed the agencies were holding bars back from creating a more lively space as well as alleviating and counter-balancing downtown social disorder.

Georgina Campbell is a Wellington-based reporter who has a particular interest in local government, transport, and seismic issues. She joined the Herald in 2019 after working as a broadcast journalist.