The Dunedin District Licensing Committee has indicated a Caversham liquor store’s off-licence is likely to be renewed, subject to conditions outlined by the committee being met.
The application by Caversham Liquor store owners Frank and Sandra Shum was opposed by both the medical officer of health and the licensing inspector, and was considered at a two-hour hearing in the city earlier this week.
Concerns had been raised earlier about whether the store had a duty manager on the premises at all times.
A person delegated to report on behalf of the medical officer of health had raised two sets of matters under the Sale and Supply of Liquor Act, one being if the applicant had ‘‘appropriate systems, staff and training’’ to comply with the law.
The committee heard some "conflicting information" had been received, including that there "may not be a compliant system in place for staff", hearing agenda papers showed.
A requirement for all staff to gain manager’s certificates was "positive" but premises-specific training was required when staff began their employment.
There was also a legal requirement for a manager to be "on duty at all times and responsible for compliance".
The committee panel comprised chairman Colin Weatherall, deputy chairman Andrew Noone and member Peter Burrows.
In a letter accompanying the agenda for the meeting, Southern District Health Board health promotion adviser Toni Paterson said she found the store locked when she made two monitoring visits, both on a Sunday, last year.
"However, a sign was on the door advising customers to ring the doorbell for service," she wrote.
When the doorbell was rung, a staff member from the Four Square, in the same building, came across, unlocked the door and served in these premises, she said.
The visits led Ms Paterson to believe the licence holders did not have a manager on duty at all times.
But the committee indicated that evidence provided by the off-licence applicants this week had provided more clarity about how the duty manager system would operate in future, and further explanations had been made.
Mr Weatherall said the committee was likely to grant the licence renewal application, subject to the applicant providing materials involving training, particularly an updated staff training manual, to the medical officer of health, the licensing inspector and subsequently to the committee by March 31.
For the applicants, the committee heard the Shum family had been operating a business in the area for more than 50 years.
The off-licence owners had built up sound credibility through a long and law-abiding trading history, and their licence renewal was not opposed by the police, the committee heard.
