A rural Napier hotel has been hit with one of the longest bans ever imposed by the national Liquor Licensing Authority for repeated licence breaches, including supplying minors and failing to have sufficient food available to patrons in its bar.
The Meeanee Hotel will have to close for 28 days from November 12, a blow for family company Micore Investments which has operated the hotel since 2006.
Director Mike Pawson, who has also had his general manager certificate suspended for 30 days, and whose company admitted the breaches, was last night unable to comment, apart from saying he had no choice but to close the premises for the month.
The suspensions come after an LLA hearing held in Hastings on Tuesday, before Judge John Hole and a lay-member, based on two applications made by Napier District Licensing Agency inspector Jason Sheehan.
The agency mounted a host responsibility operation on May 18, and about 9.40pm found no food was available, while fewer than four weeks later, about 9.40pm on June 23, two volunteers, aged 16 and 17, entered the premises in a controlled purchase operation.