Inside Piha's contentious cafe

Dogged by controversy since it first hit the drawing board, Piha's cafe has new owners and more ructions. Rowena Orejana visits the cafe and its neighbours.
The weather is grim around Piha Cafe. Fog cloaks most of the hillsides, while rain drizzles relentlessly over the silver sea.
Inside, new owners Pete and Pattie Dillon are making the cafe as warm and inviting as they can, given the mess of building work in the car park.
"We came over to New Zealand last winter. We were thinking about moving and we decided to take the summer with the kids and have a look around," says Pete. "We ended up in Piha in the middle of winter and it looked just like this. I thought it was beautiful."
The couple, whose background is in organic farming in the Caribbean island of St Lucia, are settling into the small, but vocal, community. They have landed in a brewing storm.
Residents who opposed the cafe are flummoxed that Auckland Council has approved variations to its consents without public notification. This would allow alcohol on the premises and opens the way for the cafe to apply for a liquor licence - from the same authority.
Kath Dewar, of Protect Piha Heritage, which opposed the cafe two years ago, says: "Given the controversy around the establishment of the cafe, we think the community should have been given the opportunity to express its views on the environmental effects of serving alcohol at the cafe."
"The Auckland Council officer's report acknowledged that even amongst those who originally supported the cafe's application, it was mostly on the basis no alcohol would be served," she adds.
She says those who opposed the cafe were worried about "the creep effect" of it eventually becoming a bar.
Fiona Anderson finds the whole thing "sneaky and underhanded". She's been firing off emails to the council questioning the variations.
"I am hitting a brick wall everywhere I go on this. I strongly believe that if a fresh consent is required to extend the opening hours, then surely the same is called for to get leave to apply for a liquor licence?" she argues.
Mr Dillon says they are sensitive to residents' concerns.
"We have a different philosophy about the cafe from the previous owners. Our approach is that this is a community-based, community-driven cafe."
The couple have recently moved to Piha with their two boys aged 8 and 10. "A tavern is not on our radar," says Mrs Dillon firmly.
Although they can now apply for a licence, Mr Dillon says they would do so only if the community wants them to.
He agrees the two main concerns would be drinking and driving back to Auckland, and drinking and going to the beach, but adds the couple are not looking at the cafe becoming a drinking establishment.
"While we would be the ones who would be applying for the liquor licence, as far as we're concerned it is the users of the cafe who should decide whether or not they want to. They say what is appropriate for the cafe to have."
However, they would not listen only to those who talk the loudest.
"The key thing is if we get support, if the community's opinion is that they would like to have a glass of wine over lunch, we would do it."
Mr Dillon says he and his wife have long been involved in community organisations and know the working dynamics of them.
He says the cafe will be more of a philanthropic work.
"All of the profits from the cafe go back to the community. Outside of expenses and (Pattie's) salary, all profits will go to the community."
The fund will be for small projects for the community, decided upon by the community, he insists.
"The more business the cafe does, the more projects it will be able to fund."
Raising the bar
Auckland Council has not yet received an application for a liquor licence from the cafe.
"If one is received it will be publicly notified as per the standard process and residents will then have an opportunity to make submissions, which would be considered as part of the assessment of the application," says Auckland Council licensing manager Carole Todd.
Mrs Anderson believes: "It is probably a done deal so I won't be throwing too much energy at it."
Mrs Dewar says Piha residents who want to have a say will need to be quick once the cafe applies for a liquor licence. For more information email: protectpihaheritage@xtra.co.nz or write to: Community Mail Box 3, Piha Post Office.