At a hearing in May, Balclutha police opposed on-and off-licence renewals, and the renewal of owner Jenny Macdonald’s manager’s certificate, for the Crescent Bar & Grill in Kaitangata.
Last week, the Clutha District Licensing Committee opted to accept all three renewals, but limit them to one year.
Licence renewals are typically three years but, in its findings, the committee said it had decided "a truncated renewal period [was] appropriate".
"It is clear to us that there are aspects of the management and operation of the premises that do need to be improved. We expect duty managers and staff to be familiar with the application of the SCAB assessment [for intoxication], and to take greater care in monitoring patron behaviour and consumption," the report said.
During the hearing, police identified 10 incidents of concern — ranging from drink-driving to assault — occurring at or linked to the pub since April 2021.
While acknowledging those concerns, Ms Macdonald said all pubs experienced similar incidents, irrespective of the level of staff care.
"We’re not angels, but it’s a pub like any other, and we do our best to maintain a safe and welcoming environment for everyone, from individuals to families enjoying dinner.
"This is a slap on the wrist, but I’ll take it, and use it to make some improvements to things like staff training."
It was a shame police had not adopted a more co-operative approach to resolving issues they had identified, she said.
"This [process] has cost me $30,000 in legal and other fees. That’s money that could have been spent on addressing some of those concerns, and improving security and training, for example.
"It does feel a bit like you’ve been singled out, but we’ll soldier on. We’ve never lost the support of the community, who’ve been amazing."
The report criticised Ms Macdonald for "poor judgement" during an incident in October 2021, when she and bar manager Kirsty Nolan had argued with police visiting the pub regarding appropriate protocol for drunk patrons.
Partway through those discussions, Ms Macdonald had left, saying, "it’s no wonder everyone hates you guys", in reference to the police, evidence showed.
"[Ms Macdonald’s] attitude on this occasion was quite unsatisfactory," the report said.
However, it added the pub was showing signs of improvement.
"[T]here have been no further incidents related to the premises where fault can be attributed to the licensee [for] a period of nearly 10 months."
As part of its licence renewal, the pub will shut earlier on Friday and Saturday nights, at 1am.
The application for the renewals was made in November last year, meaning the pub’s licences will be reviewed once more in just three months’ time.
