The future of one of Whangārei’s few late-night entertainment venues is in doubt, after its liquor licence renewal was opposed by police.
The Butter Factory in central Whangārei is best known for its gourmet burgers, live music performances from the likes of Troy Kingi and DJs playing into the small hours, with capacity for 240 people.
But the area has been marred by violence on Butter Factory Lane and nearby Laurie Hall Park, including two fights in the last month that left two in hospital.
New owners, Whangārei cousins Harpreet Kaur and Ishjot Singh, are running under a temporary liquor licence, but when they went to renew The Butter Factory’s on-licence, it was opposed by police and the Ministry of Health.
Whangārei District Council’s District Licensing Committee had a hearing considering the issues on Tuesday, with a decision yet to be released. If the on-licence is not renewed, it is unclear if the venue will be viable to stay open.
Police’s Whangārei area prevention manager Senior Sergeant Dave Wilkinson said police lodged its opposition because of disappointment over incidents near The Butter Factory.
“Police are aware of recent incidents involving violence and intoxication on Butter Factory Lane. A number of people have been charged and are being prosecuted in the courts,” he said.
“Whangārei police have set very clear expectations regarding venue responsibilities with a nearby venue.”
Council licensing inspector Ashlee Partridge, in a report to the committee, said the venue was high-risk and questioned the experience and training of the new owners.
Kaur has worked as a chef for more than three years and also runs her own cafe, Totara Cafe in Tikipunga. Singh has a graduate diploma in hospitality management and has worked as an assistant restaurant manager for three years.
The owners also retained The Butter Factory’s manager Sheridan Marris.
There were 520 incidents recorded in Butter Factory Lane and Laurie Hall Park from January to September, the time when Kaur and Singh took over the venue, Partridge reported.
Most of these were for breaching the liquor ban, by pre-loading on alcohol outside the venue. Urination, vomiting and fighting were the next most common incidents, she said.
“I do not believe that these incidents in the car park should be managed by The Butter Factory; however, I believe it paints a picture of how bad the amenity and good order of the locality is, and therefore how the management should be of a high standard to be able to manage their patrons coming to and from the venue without contributing, or becoming victim, to these incidents.”
Since Kaur and Singh took over the venue there have been numerous other issues, including an excessive noise direction being issued for loud, heavy bass after 11pm.
The council held a meeting with the new owners in late September, after four incidents of people fighting outside the venue that month alone. They agreed to have more security guards on the front gates.
But on October 11, police attended after a security guard was punched by an allegedly intoxicated patron being removed from the venue. Police also attended the next night to disperse a fight among patrons.
“The issue of the licence to the premises will continue a pub experience in CBD Whangārei with a variety of entertainment to suit a particular group of patrons,” Partridge said.
“[But] I believe that there are issues with the amenity and good order in the area. I believe that the applicant does not have the appropriate training to ensure their patrons entering and exiting are safe from the incidents outside.”
Partridge was also concerned about the opening hours running until 3am on Saturday and Sunday mornings - even though a one-way door policy is in place from 1am, so patrons who leave cannot come back in again. She suggested a 1am closing time would be more appropriate, if the on-licence was renewed.
But a Whangārei hospitality representative said bars have limited control of people who are outside their venues, with most problems caused by people not allowed inside or who have been kicked out.
James Sinclair is one of the co-owners of AstroBoy and new Vine St bar Beer & Loathing. He and other Whangārei bar owners have formed a group chat so they can warn each other about problem patrons, who will often walk around Whangārei trying to get into different venues if they have been rejected from one.
He believed safety in the city should not just be up to hospitality owners, with police and the council also needing to play a part.
“We’re trying to a. make money and b. make safer communities: I think it’s a joint venture. I think we’ve all got the best interests in mind but we see drug peddlers outside.”
Sinclair said The Butter Factory already has heavy security and Whangārei’s nightlife has always had problems with small groups wanting to cause trouble.
“They’ve adopted the crowd from the last place that shut down. The crowd went from Danger Danger, to Rynoz, to Killer Prawn when it was open late, to Bacio’s, to The Butter Factory now.
“I’m worried if they [The Butter Factory] shut down, [the crowd] comes to me.”
Sinclair believed tight alcohol rules were not working in Whangārei and more relaxed rules would allow more businesses to open, resulting in greater safety in numbers.
“We need places for youngsters to go, we just need to put more responsibility back on the patrons to behave.”
Sinclair pointed to Melbourne’s thriving nightlife, where late-night liquor licences were more freely available. The increase in the number of people had also led to a surge in late-night shopping.
Whangārei introduced its one-way door policy in April 2015 and a 2018 review found that while there was an increase in reported anti-social behaviour, this was likely linked to Citysafe officers able to report more incidents. Police reported an immediate decrease in calls for violent offences, and drug and alcohol offences, but violent offences went back to their long-running trend by March 2017.
Sydney CBD introduced a one-way door policy in 2014 but it was removed in 2020 because of concerns it was hampering the night-time economy and increasing assaults in areas outside the policy.
Whangārei mayor Vince Cocurullo agreed the problems come from a small minority of people not allowed in venues because they are underage or intoxicated.
But he did not believe a relaxation of Whangārei’s one-way door policy would help the issue, with the policy being introduced to help protect patrons.
Police have responsibility to ensure safety outside of venues, Cocurullo said, and he encouraged businesses to improve Whangārei’s nightlife by working together, such as funding late buses or running events.
The Northern Advocate approached Kaur and Singh, but they did not want to make comments while the liquor licence decision was pending.
Denise Piper is a news reporter for the Northern Advocate, focusing on health and business. She has more than 20 years in journalism and is passionate about covering stories that make a difference.
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