Bay of Plenty festival promoter Pato Alvarez was convicted in 2023 of sex crimes. Photo / Andrew Warner
Women at the centre of the Pato Alavarez sex crimes case are calling for music lovers to boycott his events given he’s now been publicly outed as a sex offender.
Pato Alvarez, whose full name is Patricio Andres Alvarez-Riveros, has been revealed as the music promoter and festival owner who stood trial in the High Court at Rotorua in 2023 accused of sexual assault and drug-related offending.
Alvarez, from Tauranga, is the Bay Dreams and One Love founder and former owner, was involved in the failed Juicy Fest and Timeless Summer Tour last year and is the promoter for a Snoop Dogg concert in Auckland later this month.
He was found guilty of two of the 25 charges and was sentenced to 12 months’ home detention on November 10, 2023.
At the time Justice Layne Harvey called his actions “unjustified” and “unacceptable”.
His interim name suppression lapsed at sentencing but a legal fight continued for the next two years.
The Supreme Court this week dismissed his appeal – meaning the 2023 High Court and 2025 Court of Appeal decisions denying permanent name suppression are upheld.
The Supreme Court judgment said it did not believe Alvarez would suffer undue hardship if publicly named.
Alvarez completed his home detention last year.
He was found guilty of the indecent assault and attempted unlawful sexual connection of a woman hired as a babysitter by his wife to look after their children during one of the festivals he was involved in.
Alvarez entered the woman’s room about 3am, picked her up out of bed and held her against a wall as he touched her body under her clothing and tried to sexually violate her.
It was the Crown’s case Alvarez took advantage of his position in the entertainment industry to get what he wanted sexually from women and would sometimes use illicit drugs to allow him to have his way.
One of the nine complainants in the case told the Rotorua Daily Post yesterday that many in the industry knew he was the person on trial.
“What will be interesting is to see if the influencers who stuck around will continue to do so now.”
She said people should stay away from his concerts and festivals.
“I don’t know why anyone would continue to support him now ... If you’re caught buying a ticket, someone will have something to say about it.”
The woman, who can’t be named for legal reasons, gave evidence alleging she was raped but the jury found him not guilty of those allegations.
The woman told the jury she had been lured away for the night with Alvarez under a false pretence.
Instead, she said she was drugged with a white powder and raped, leaving her feeling “disgusted” and “defeated”.
She said she previously felt pressured to have sex with the man in a situation where she felt scared of what would happen to her if she didn’t.
The woman told the Rotorua Daily Post it was a relief he was now named but said it brought everything back.
“You get over it and it has happened and then everything comes back up again.”
Sexual abuse victims advocate Louise Nicholas, who supported the women complainants at trial, said any right-thinking person should not support his festivals or events.
“They should absolutely boycott him.”
She said most of the allegations and the offences he was found guilty of centred around his work as a music promoter and festival owner.
“To have him back in that environment doing that work again in my opinion is putting women, especially young women, at risk. Do leopards change their spots? No, they don’t.”
During his trial it emerged he had about 30 to 40 affairs. His wife, Monique Lee, gave evidence she knew Alvarez was sleeping with other women and was okay with it as long as he didn’t form relationships with them.
Nicholas said the fact his wife “condoned” that behaviour was also troubling.
In her view: “That is also a concern for young women or any women going to those concerts and festivals and being a part of that.”
Nicholas said Alvarez having his name released publicly after such a long delay was difficult for all the women.
She said, in her view: “He played the system with delay after delay and it was wrong on so many levels.”
She said having so many different court cases, appeals and adjournments added to the stress for the women she was supporting.
“It is like a vicarious trauma and it’s ongoing.”
His victim, the babysitter, said while she couldn’t tell potential concertgoers what to do, she certainly wouldn’t support anything he was involved in.
“I personally won’t be supporting his events. I was assaulted by him while employed by his wife to babysit his children and for obvious reasons, my friends, family and I want no association with him whatsoever.”
The defence case said Alvarez lived a life of “sex, drugs and rock’n’roll”, consuming drugs including cocaine, ecstasy and methamphetamine and sleeping with other women.
But his lawyer, Ron Mansfield, KC, said Alvarez was “popular” and did not need to resort to plying women with alcohol and drugs to have sex with them.
Kelly Makiha is a senior journalist who has reported for the Rotorua Daily Post for more than 25 years, covering mainly police, court, human interest and social issues.