Darryl Wilson and his wife want to reopen the Maungatapu Sports Bar, but have pulled out of the liquor licence application process.
Photos / Sandra Conchie
Darryl Wilson and his wife want to reopen the Maungatapu Sports Bar, but have pulled out of the liquor licence application process.
Photos / Sandra Conchie
A Tauranga couple who planned to reopen the Maungatapu Sports Bar have withdrawn their liquor licence application after clashing with a licensing inspector.
The Tauranga City Council says the inspector was trying to avoid a repeat of issues at the bar under prior management.
The bar has been closedsince February, after its former operator, SG Group of Bars Ltd, was denied a liquor on-licence renewal by the Tauranga District Licensing Committee.
The committee’s concerns included the bar “routinely” operating without a duty manager, and a failure to mitigate risks after two serious assaults.
Proposed new operators Darryl Wilson and Jamnong Chanla applied to the city council for an on-licence through their company, B & J Chanla Ltd, on May 13.
Wilson said there were 11 objectors to their liquor licence application, and 14 letters of support, including from businesses and residents in the area. He said police did not oppose the application.
A District Licensing Committee hearing was scheduled for August 1.
However, Wilson said he and his wife withdrew the application a few days before the hearing, after two tense meetings with a council district licensing inspector.
He claimed the inspector was “intimidatory” in his approach to their application, despite the couple’s extensive industry experience and no history of prosecutions.
Maungatapu Sports Bar liquor licence applicant Darryl Wilson and his wife intended to buy the business and reopen the bar. Photo / Sandra Conchie
He said at their first meeting last month, the inspector introduced himself as someone who was “going to do things by the book”.
Wilson said the inspector told him the tavern was a “violent bar” and showed him a video of a serious assault outside the bar in December last year.
“He also said to me, it was not ‘if’, but ‘when’ the gangs returned.”
Wilson said the bar had been operating in Maungatapu for 30 years.
“If it were such a violent bar, it would have been shut down a long time ago.”
Wilson said they also disagreed over the staff roster and duty manager provisions.
He claimed he confronted the inspector about his “intimidatory” conduct at their second meeting, days before the hearing, and the inspector walked out.
“I wasn’t rude, but I feel he should be judging us on our suitability to hold a liquor licence.”
He said the inspector’s report gave them no confidence of success, after spending “several thousands of dollars” engaging an experienced liquor licence consultant.
Maungatapu resident Darryl Wilson and his wife have withdrawn their application for a liquor licence to enable them to buy and reopen the Maungatapu Sports Bar. Photo / Sandra Conchie
“We felt going forward to a hearing was just too hard, given how the inspector felt towards me. It wasn’t going to make for a good working relationship.”
If he received an apology and knew there would be a “more workable” outcome, he would be prepared to consider reapplying.
Sarah Omundsen, the council’s regulatory and compliance general manager, said the council’s goal was to support safe, well-run licensed venues in Tauranga.
Tauranga City Council's general manager of regulatory and compliance Sarah Omundsen. Photo /NZME
“We appreciate that this has been a difficult process for Mr Wilson, and there is a significant amount of the community’s interest in the Maungatapu Sports Bar.”
She said the inspector had worked to “find a way forward,” including confirming staffing levels to help avoid past issues.
“Unfortunately, an agreement could not be reached; a meeting with the applicant became tense, and the inspector chose to step away to keep things respectful.
“When we met with Mr Wilson we made it clear we’re open to working with him again if he chooses to reapply.”
Sandra Conchie is a senior journalist at the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post who has been a journalist for 24 years. She mainly covers police, court and other justice stories, as well as general news. She has been a Canon Media Awards regional/community reporter of the year.
