'The Shed' raises the bar with four NZ nominations

"It's like in the rugby ... Hawke's Bay can do it," Shed 2 Restaurant and Bar owner Dennis Buckley said as he contemplated the quadrella of national awards for excellence the West Quay establishment has been nominated for.

One of the four Hospitality New Zealand (Hanz) awards "the Shed" is up for is the ultimate accolade - Best Bar in New Zealand.

"It's generally bars in the big cities, and this year the other three bars up for it are in Auckland," Mr Buckley says, before again nodding toward the Magpies' recent success in taking out the ITM Rugby Championship title - against the odds.

As well as being selected as a finalist for Best Bar, Shed 2 is also lined up for Excellence in Host Responsibility, Best Sports Bar and Best Music Entertainment Venue.

Being selected for four categories is rare, although Mr Buckley and his team have tasted success before. In 2008, Shed 2 became the first business outside the main centres to take the Hanz title of Best Redeveloped Bar, and had also been nominated for Excellence in Host Responsibility.

Last year, it was again selected as a finalist for the host responsibility category.

Mr Buckley praised the efforts of two of the united management team, Kat Spooner and Amanda Gray, who put the comprehensive entry packages together.

In host responsibility they were able to include glowing references from the Napier City Council and the police, and in the sports bar and entertainment categories were given a thumbs-up from broadcaster Miles Davis who aired a sports show from the bar and said it was one of the best places he had broadcast from.

Anonymous Hanz judges made "blind" visits to Shed 2 to check it out and score it.

"We've worked hard," Mr Buckley said. "We've looked overseas to see what they are doing there and what the standards are - and we closely watch the three or four best operators in this country and just work away at it."

Two other Napier venues are also up for awards, with the Brazen Head Bar and Cafe and the recently opened The Station both nominated in the Excellence in Gaming categories.

The awards will be announced at a gala dinner in Christchurch on November 3 as part of the Hanz annual conference.