On Wednesday, Bluff’s Golden Age Tavern was the subject of an Invercargill District Licensing Committee hearing after a host of concerns were raised including poor staffing, unidentifiable food and the lack of a promised courtesy coach.
The tavern has indicated it will do what is required to meet the mark, but alcohol harm prevention officer sergeant Hayden McNaught expressed disappointment it had taken a “kick up the backside”.
In March, a number of red flags were raised following a joint inspection by Invercargill district council alcohol licensing inspector Sarah Nicol and health protection officer Karla James.
Nicol said there was no system for staff training, no staff roster, no duty mangers log and no certified manager appointed, other than Tony ‘Hank’ Low, the applicant.
An expired certificate for another manager was displayed on the wall, but Nicol was told by Low that the person was at university and only came in once a year.
Nicol also raised concerns about food options in a freezer, saying Low was unable to identify a specific item which he said “would be soup”.
A courtesy coach had been listed in the application, but signage at the tavern said it was unavailable because of a staff shortage.
James was equally concerned, saying Low did not intend to employ any other staff and observed the incident book was difficult to understand.
“It was my observation throughout the visit that Mr Low was resistant to any change, advice or recommendations and that he would continue to run The Golden Age Tavern in the same manner he had done for years,” James wrote.
Low was joined by two others at Wednesday’s hearing — Haylee-Chanel Simeon who operates adjacent restaurant Hayz at the Anchorage, and tavern staffer Rochelle Kellor.
The tavern operator appeared confused by some questions, and was assisted by Simeon and Kellor throughout.
Simeon explained the tavern and restaurant were separate but closely connected businesses, and spoke highly of Low’s care for his patrons.
She said that at the time of the inspection, a freezer had gone down making everything “a bit chaotic” in relation to food.
Kellor said she had been trained by Low and worked three years with him, but conceded that had never been recorded.
Later, she explained her role as acting manager had been logged in an incident book.
As for the coach service being unavailable, Low said the sign had been put up in 2023 after two employees left but should have been taken down soon after.
People were dropped home by either himself, his sister, Kellor or Simeon.
“We hardly get anyone to take home at the moment, a lot of the wives often come down and pick their partners up or take them home,” Low said.
Delegated medical officer of health Stephanie Bekhuis-Pay said holding an alcohol licence was a privilege not a right, and called for any licence to be truncated, meaning the tavern could be checked at random.
The licence applications were opposed ahead of the hearing by Nicol, McNaught, and Bekhuis-Pay — who used James as a witness.
A decision on whether the on and off licences will be granted is now in the hands of Invercargill District Licensing Committee members Darren Ludlow, Ria Bond and Andrea de Vries.
Chair Ludlow advised an outcome could take up to 20 working days.
All three committee members declared that they knew Simeon but had not discussed the subject of the hearing with her.
Low is listed as one of five directors for Golden Age (2018) Ltd, and indicated at the hearing that the tavern could be placed on the market.
- LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
