Shaw said he wasn’t opposed to the licence renewal but wanted DLC to ensure the tavern improved its policies in dealing with future assaults.
CCTV footage of the incident showed a patron standing two tables over had walked to their group and smacked his grandson’s bottom.
Shaw said the patron, who then picked up a spoon the child had dropped on the floor before walking back to his table, told his wife to “control your kid”.
“We had no interaction with him before that. No one said our grandson was disturbing us. Staff didn’t say this kid is annoying,” Shaw said.
Shaw said he went up to the patron to address the incident, but the patron denied hitting the child.
“He absolutely reeked of alcohol.”
A few minutes later, Shaw said another patron attempted to assault him, and his family was subjected to verbal abuse from others.
The rest of his family left the premises, while he stayed behind to deal with the pub’s management. He claimed staff didn’t call the police and he had to do it himself after he was assaulted.
Huapai Tavern staff member Shane Parker said the child had been running around, “causing a bit of a scene”.
When asked by the DLC if staff had addressed this with Shaw’s group before the incident, Parker said they hadn’t.
Another staff member, Gail Neil, said she didn’t think the incident was serious.
“I don’t think the child was seriously injured. He was touched.”
She later said the child was tapped, rather than given a hard slap.
Goudie said the objector considered that an assault. “His grievance is that you didn’t take it seriously,” he said.
Police did not attend the incident on the day as there were no units available but followed up the next day. They formally cautioned the offender for a minor assault on a child.
The tavern’s counsel Andrew Braggins said after the incident and upon advice from police, the venue had taken extra steps to ensure assaults were better dealt with.
Braggins said signs stating children have to be supervised at all times were put up on entrances and children were not allowed on the premises after 8pm.
He said staff would now call police first for any assault, and the patron who smacked the child was banned for up to six months.
“This incident should not have happened. A lifetime ban seems extreme. He came back after a few months and knew his actions were unacceptable,” Braggins said.
Alcohol licensing inspector Bryce Law said police and the medical officer of health had not objected to the renewal. He also did not oppose the application, finding he was happy with the changes the tavern had made after the incident.
Law said, in his experience, assaulting a child in a tavern was a rare incident and he wasn’t aware of other taverns putting up advisories about children on their premises.
The DLC will deliberate and release its decision at a later date.
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
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