Storm in a wine goblet
WHEN Chris Isemonger planned her Italian style food pantry, Piaggios, it seemed natural to include fine European wines in her repertoire, thinking culinary delights and vino go hand in hand.
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RED TAPE: Food and wine may no longer be good partners if Chris Isemonger can't get off-license approval. Times photo Wayne Martin. |
Secretary of the apartment body corporate Darren vander Wal says: “The proprietors are concerned with the growing levels of violence in Manukau City being disproportional to that in the country.
“With the recent stabbings and the death of a liquor store operator, council should be taking immediate action to reduce the number of liquor outlets, not only in Howick, but in Manukau City as a whole.
“The recent objection was not solely focused on the adjoining property, but was to raise the awareness of the concerns of the residents of Manukau City,” says Mr vander Wal.
As a retail shop, Piaggios is open Tuesday to Saturday during Howick’s regular shopping hours.
Mrs Isemonger applied for an off-license with extended hours to include occasional wine education and degustation evenings, as well as special events such as Midnight Madness.
Expecting off-license approval, Mrs Isemonger invested in mid to top end European wine stock, which cannot be sold until the issue is resolved.
A request for an urgent hearing has been made but will not take place until early November, a month after Piaggios opened.
Manukau City Council licensing inspector Paul Radich says: “The District Licensing Agency can’t determine opposed applications, so when we get objections we refer it to the Liquor Licensing Authority in Wellington.
“There are certain criteria that you can object to and none of the objections we received met those criteria. I’m really surprised there’s an issue over it to be honest and reasonably disappointed as well.”
Mr Radich says the Department of Courts Licensing Authority is struggling to see the association between the sale of wine with boutique Italian delicatessen food. If the application had not been opposed it would have been approved by the District License Agency, he says.
Mr Radich will support the Piaggios application at the hearing but he’s uncertain of the outcome. “This shop is encouraging people to do what we want them to – eat, have a glass of wine, be responsible and not drive home drunk,” says Mr Radich.
Mrs Isemonger says: “Other shops that are in the same situation like Nosh, Sabato, Farro all have wine sales and Piaggios is the same sort of shop.”
She says she couldn’t have asked for a better reaction from locals who have offered to write letters of support and organise a petition.
Within four days, the petition asking for the license to be approved was signed by 120 people, including one of the objectors.
Another objector has told Mrs Isemonger she will not be attending the hearing.
Once an objection is lodged the Licensing Authority hearing must proceed even if all opposition is withdrawn.
“No one from the apartments came and spoke to me or went to the council to ask what sought of business is it. They just saw the public notice. All they had to do was ask. I was happy to explain.”