logo
Last call for tavern after licence lost

Last call for tavern after licence lost

South Dunedin's St Kilda Tavern could soon serve its last drinks after being stripped of its liquor licence due to concerns about its Auckland-based owner.
That was despite Dunedin's district licensing committee saying there was "no evidence" to support concerns raised by police about the links between the tavern's current and former owners.
The tavern's on-licence and off-licence renewal application was opposed by police, the medical officer of health and a licensing inspector.
In its decision, committee secretary Kevin Mechen said they visited the premises twice in the week leading up to a reconvened hearing last month.
On both occasions, a committee member was told there was no food available, and it appeared no food had been prepared at the premises since the beginning of the year.
The on-site manager had not maintained the food provision to the standard required by law, and it appeared Mr Singh, while in Dunedin, "has made no effort to inspect the premises for even the basic requirement of his licence," Mr Mechen said.
"When we weigh up the evidence, the committee is not confident the premises is being operated properly and that the applicant, despite undertaking to come to Dunedin for 10 days per month, does not have processes in place to ensure the premises will meet its statutory obligations.
"The application is therefore declined."
The applicant could not trade beyond next Wednesday and had been given until then to formally close the business, he said.
A staff member who identified themselves as a duty manager declined to speak to the Otago Daily Times on the record yesterday.
Efforts to reach Kilda Hospitality Ltd director Darshpreet Singh for comment yesterday were unsuccessful.
The premises was first opened in 1873, had been continuously licensed since opening as a hotel and had been a tavern since 1970, a report to the committee said.
Its potential closure comes after the Carisbrook Hotel ceased trading in June 2023, as well as the forced closure of Mitchells Tavern the same month after it was gutted in a fire.
Committee chairman Colin Weatherall said yesterday it was "certainly not a regular occurrence" that an application for a licensed premises as established as the St Kilda Tavern was declined.
"It's a bit unusual.
"The committee is very conscious of the community it serves, but the application in its own right failed to meet the criteria of the [Sale and Supply of Alcohol] Act in more ways than one."
Ownership of the tavern had reverted to the landlord, who had indicated they may try to sell the establishment as a going concern, Mr Weatherall said.
The committee heard at the hearing in February Mr Singh lived in Auckland at present and planned to come to Dunedin once or twice a month for two or three-day visits at a time.
He later made a commitment to be at the premises for at least 10 days in every month for the first year of business.
Much of police's evidence was subject to a non-publication order and part of the hearing was excluded to the public.
The majority of this evidence related to the previous owner and not the applicant, Mr Mechen said.
It was suggested the applicant was a friend of the previous owner and there was a business connection between the two, but "no evidence was produced to support this assertion."
tim.scott@odt.co.nz
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Lotto wars: Global gambling syndicate blocked from buying Powerball tickets
Lotto wars: Global gambling syndicate blocked from buying Powerball tickets

NZ Herald

time6 hours ago

  • NZ Herald

Lotto wars: Global gambling syndicate blocked from buying Powerball tickets

He said overseas sites 'on-sell lottery tickets from a range of jurisdictions' and offer copycat versions of national lotteries. 'It's generally difficult to detect the acquisition of physical tickets from Lotto NZ for resale internationally because the initial purchases can be made anonymously in store' Hine said. Lotto NZ would not be drawn on how it detected the attempted ticket purchases by the gambling syndicate, or how it then blocked the sales. Lotto fever gripped New Zealand ahead of last year's $50 million Must Be Won draw. Photo / Sylvie Whinray Purchasing tickets here and reselling them on overseas websites, is 'in contravention of our rules' he said. 'They may be sold without responsible gambling controls in place, marketed using dated and inaccurate information, and could cause confusion for purchasers through the misuse of Lotto NZ's brand imagery and intellectual property.' The global online gambling market – including online casino, lottery and sports and racing markets - is estimated at $97 billion, with a study by market research company FNF Research predicting it will grow to $306b by 2030. This comes as Lotto NZ considers a facelift for Powerball, considered its flagship game. TheLotter's version of Powerball sees the same draw details and gameplay as Lotto NZ's game. Photo / Michael Bradley The Herald revealed last month that Lotto NZ bosses are keen to increase the number of balls in the Powerball draw. Lotto NZ chief innovation and product officer Ben Coney told the Herald the five-year strategy to 2029 includes 'changing the odds by adding more balls to the Powerball machine' and evolving the game. The change will require government approval and Lotto NZ is already seeking permission for what has been described as a 'matrix change' for the game. The current odds of winning Lotto Powerball are 1 in 38m. Should Lotto add one extra Powerball number, the odds would decrease to 1 in 42.2m. Lotto NZ says ticket sales are the highest they've ever been - meaning Powerball is being struck more regularly. More regular wins means fewer of the more exciting mega-jackpots - like the $50m draws that attract 'exponential' ticket sales. 'The details of exactly what we will change and what it would mean for subject to regulatory consultation and ministerial approval' Coney said. 'We continue to our government stakeholders about the potential shape of any change.' Neil Reid is a Napier-based senior reporter who covers general news, features and sport. He joined the Herald in 2014 and has 33 years of newsroom experience. Sign up to The Daily H, a free newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

Simmonds ignored advice in Otago Polytech decision
Simmonds ignored advice in Otago Polytech decision

Otago Daily Times

time6 hours ago

  • Otago Daily Times

Simmonds ignored advice in Otago Polytech decision

Penny Simmonds went against early advice by allowing Southern Institute of Technology to stand alone and grouping Otago Polytechnic with a pair of North Island-based institutions, it can be revealed. Advice to the vocational education minister released under the Official Information Act showed the decision to not allow Otago Polytechnic to stand alone was made despite it being assessed as "financially viable" along with six other institutions. The advisers from a special vocational education working group gave Ms Simmonds the option of all seven viable institutions - including SIT and Otago Polytechnic standing alone - but recommended the pair be linked together as part of three regional groupings. Otago Polytechnic and SIT should also be grouped with the Open Polytechnic. Ms Simmonds went on to ignore that advice and linked Otago Polytechnic with Palmerston North-based Universal College of Learning (UCOL) and Lower Hutt-based Open Polytechnic; and approved SIT, which she was formerly the chief executive of for 20 years, standing alone. Green MP Francisco Hernandez said the situation was a mess that benefited no-one in vocational education. "Advice shows that Otago Polytech was considered 'viable', even prior to the extensive and disruptive cuts that Otago was forced to undertake thanks to the lack of support." Mr Hernandez said Ms Simmonds must release the advice proactively "so we can examine the basis for the decision making". Otago Polytechnic executive director Dr Megan Pōtiki saw the advisory group's recommendations this week. "This only adds to our confusion about the decision announced last Monday. "In none of the four options shortlisted by the advisory group was Otago Polytechnic listed as a 'non-viable' entity. "We are deeply concerned that Otago Polytechnic has been unfairly singled out, in a decision which appears to have favoured some organisations for reasons other than financial viability." Dr Pōtiki said she was pleased the option of merging Otago Polytechnic and SIT was not adopted. "Both organisations have long and proud histories of providing quality tertiary education in our respective regions, but we have clear differences in our programme strengths and styles of operations. "However, we are still looking forward to a close and collaborative relationship with our closest neighbour going forward." Dr Pōtiki said Otago Polytechnic should be in surplus by the end of the year. "We are again asking the minister to release the criteria she used for making these decisions, and to clearly communicate why Otago Polytechnic was singled out to be moved out of the 'viable' category and included as part of a federation." Ms Simmonds said the debt and cash reserves of both SIT and Otago Polytechnic when they went into Te Pūkenga contributed to the decision. Otago Polytechnic had $16.1 million debt and $1.3 million in cash reserves, SIT had no debt and $40.1 million in cash reserves, of which $15.6 million were ring-fenced. "The paper you are referring to is an early piece of advice and there were several updates made. Otago Polytechnic is one of the 10 institutions being re-established and will stand alone within the new federation of polytechnics. "It was not grouped with SIT or the Open Polytechnic in a combined entity because the final decision adopted the proposed federation model rather than other options proposed during consultation."

Infratil and Ebos help drive NZ stocks higher
Infratil and Ebos help drive NZ stocks higher

NZ Herald

time16 hours ago

  • NZ Herald

Infratil and Ebos help drive NZ stocks higher

Late in the New Zealand trading day, Australia's S&P/ASX 200 was down 43.10 points at 8,666.30. The index has lost 1.04% for the last five days, but sits just 1.25% below its 52-week high. The main influences on the local S&P/NZX50 index were infrastructure investor Infratil, up 26c or 2.3% at $11.45, and medical supplies distributor Ebos, up 41c at $41.17. On the downside, utilities software provider Gentrack dropped by 61c or 5.5% to $10.52 after announcing it had been informed by an Australian customer it was no longer in the frame for replacing the customer's current platform. 'Whilst the financial impact of this does not warrant disclosure, out of caution we are providing this update to our investors,' Gentrack said. Salt Funds managing director Matt Goodson said Gentrack had lost out to its main competitor, Kraken, which is part of Britain's Octopus Energy. 'It should not have come as a shock because it was suspected by some, but the actual confirmation of it has seen the stock fall,' Goodson said. Sky Network TV fell 8c to $3.06 after spiking higher earlier in the week on news it would buy the troubled Discovery NZ for $1. Among the minor issues, takeover target Metro Performance Glass, which has a market cap of $9m, gained 0.3 of a cent to 5c. Competitor Viridian NZ's 8c per share offer for Metro Glass is before the Commerce Commission, which today issued a 'Statement of Issues' relating to the application. 'The commission has identified potential adverse competitive effects arising from a loss of competition between Viridian and Metro in glass processing, supply and installation markets where they are close competitors,' it said. Goodson said the commission 'clearly has issues' with Viridian buying Metro Glass because they are the two major players in glass processing and installation. 'I guess the question then is if Viridian is not allowed, what becomes of Metro Glass, given their debt levels,' Goodson said. Looking ahead, annual meetings on Wednesday for Ryman Healthcare and Mainfreight should give investors some clues as to how the two leading stocks are tracking in the current financial year. Later in the week, second-quarter results from Apple, Amazon and Microsoft – part of America's so-called Magnificent Seven – are due out. In the big picture, the ongoing spat between US President Donald Trump and Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell continues to be a concern for the financial markets as investors worry about the US central bank's independence. Jamie Gray is an Auckland-based journalist, covering the financial markets, the primary sector and energy. He joined the Herald in 2011.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store