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A speciality South African shop that has been trying to renew its liquor licence for more than two years came up against opposition from an anti-alcohol lobby group at a hearing into its latest application last week.
Wellsford’s Biltong Plus owner and director Marisa Bosman was forced to apply for a new liquor licence, despite having sold South African wines, beers and spirits unopposed since 2015, after licensing inspectors decided in 2022 that she had been granted the wrong type of off-licence (MM, Dec 9).
As renewing the old licence couldn’t legally be allowed, Bosman applied for a new off-licence, which she said prompted a flurry of objections in October when lobby group Communities Against Alcohol Harm (CAAH) posted on social media that there was to be a brand new liquor store in Wellsford.
“This is incorrect,” Bosman told the hearing in Warkworth on February 24. “I want to make it very clear today that this is an application for a new licence because of regulation requirements. We have existed there with a licence for eight years already, if not more. Nothing is changing. We’ve had no issues.”
Bosman added that the new licence would be on condition that she only sold drinks imported from South Africa, which was all she was interested in selling.
“The purpose of my shop is the nostalgic side of things – we have biltong, we have braai … it’s the South African side, rather than the alcohol side of it.”
The panel heard there was no opposition from Auckland Council’s licensing inspectors, the Medical Officer of Health or NZ Police.
There were, however, 140 written objections, which panel chair Gavin Campbell noted had all been completed using the same Jotform app.
Only one of those objectors, Nathan Cowie, appeared at the hearing, together with counsel Grant Hewison, both of whom work with CAAH. They raised a number of concerns around the new licence being ‘a store within a store’, plus the layout of the shop and Bosman’s suitability as a licensee. Cowie also expressed concerns that the store could be sold on and said Wellsford was deprived and vulnerable to alcohol harm.
Alcohol licensing inspector Gordon Auld said the licence would be replacing an existing licence, and any deprivation, population density and customer base wouldn’t change.
The hearing was adjourned, with a decision expected in the next four weeks.
