Liquor shop protest

DAVID TAURANGA AND KAREN MANGNALL

PROTEST and be damned is the message to Clendon locals from the owner of a new liquor store that will be the target of a community march tomorrow.

"We did everything right," says Bains Brothers owner Tara Singh.

"We have our licence and there's nothing they can do."

Around 100 residents are expected at tomorrow's protest sparked after the Finlayson Ave store was granted a liquor licence without the community knowing about it or having a say.

Clendon Community Support Group co-ordinator Waina Emery says the peaceful march will be calling for the Sale of Liquor Act to be changed "as quickly as possible" to ensure it won't happen again.

"Community groups and residents say they should have the right to be consulted directly about whether a liquor licence is granted for the area they live in."

Locals are especially infuriated because they had marched successfully in 2007 to block a liquor store opening in the same place, she says.

Tomorrow's march is supported by local residents, schools, churches, community groups, the Manurewa Marae and Clendon businesses, she says.

Marchers will stop briefly outside the liquor store but they "won't be rude" to the owner, Mrs Emery says.

"We've had lot of emotion and comment from people wanting to shut him down but we know that can't happen."

Ms Emery hopes the show of community feeling might convince the owner to reduce his trading hours.

Clendon Residents Group spokesman Simeon Brown says its members are particularly unhappy a liquor licence has been granted to someone with a record of selling alcohol to minors.

Mr Singh was temporary manager of his family-owned Rata Vine Foodmarket when it was caught selling alcohol and cigarettes to underage buyers.

The Liquor Licensing Authority suspended the store's liquor licence for six weeks, subsequently found Mr Singh unsuitable to hold a manager's certificate and in 2009 denied the foodmarket's application to renew its liquor licence.

"As a 19-year-old myself and someone who sees the hurt that alcohol does to young people, that is of particular concern," Mr Brown says.

"It's another reason to get these laws changed so communities with a high population of young people can be protected from the harm that alcohol causes."

Among the marchers tomorrow will be Georgina Kupa, manager of the Maori Women's Welfare League Manurewa branch.

It has decided to boycott the nearby Finlayson Ave superette, also owned by Mr Singh, as a protest over the liquor store.

"It's just not wanted in the community," Ms Kupa says.

Her office deals every day with families hurt by drugs and alcohol.

"If it was made more difficult for people to buy alcohol it might reduce some of these problems.

"But when we put it in front of them day after day, they'll just spend all their money on that, have no food and be needing food parcels."

Mr Singh is a "nice guy", she says. "But at the end of the day he's not the one affected and we're the ones who have to pick up the pieces."

Mr Singh says he "did everything right" to get his liquor licence, advertising his application twice in a daily newspaper and on the shopfront. "The District Licensing Agency had no problems, the Manukau City Council had no problems."

Son Satnam Bains says they were going to open an internet cafe in the store "but the local community begged us, they wanted us to give one more try for a liquor licence".

"Out of 10,000-plus residents, 100 people are moaning," he says. "You can't satisfy everyone."

District licensing agency inspector Paul Radich and police district licensing sergeant Gavin Campbell say without any community objections the law gave them no grounds on which to oppose the liquor licence. And they couldn't take into account Mr Singh's record of selling alcohol to minors because he'd already served the required two-year stand-down.

Tomorrow's march starts at 1pm from Te Matariki Clendon Community Centre, 17 Palmers Rd.

- © Fairfax NZ News