Violent assaults, intoxication and disorder: One of Wellington's most 'high risk' bars faces possible closure

Wednesday, 21 April 2021

The Establishment, a self-proclaimed student bar in the heart of Wellington’s party zone is pushing for a renewal of its licence, which is being objected by three agencies and a third party.

A woman being dragged five metres by her hair. Glass being thrown at police officers. Violent assaults. A man touching patrons with his bare genitals.

These are just a handful of more than 100 incidents alleged by police to have taken place at The Establishment, a self-proclaimed “student bar” on the corner of Courtenay Place and Blair St, over the past four and a half years.

The central Wellington bar is now fighting to renew its licence, amid objections from police, regional public health, Wellington City Council’s licensing inspector and a lawyer representing nearby businesses and residents.

It is the second bar deemed “high risk” to go before council’s district licensing committee recently, with The George on Willis St having its hours slashed earlier this month. These cases come amid wider concerns about crime and anti-social behaviour in the central city.

The Establishment owner Andrew Gibson leaves a District Licensing Committee Hearing at Wellington City Council on Tuesday.

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Andrew Gibson, director of the Courtenay Establishment Ltd, appeared before the licensing committee in a two-day hearing this week to try to keep his licence.

Evidence given by police to the District Licensing Committee stated glasses and other objects had been thrown by patrons from the balcony.

Prior to the hearing, 800 pages of evidence had been submitted to the committee.

Authorities objected to the renewal on a number of grounds including the level of alcohol-related harm, inadequate training and systems of staff, suitability of the applicant, the price of drink specials and their promotion, particularly to a younger student audience.

Gibson said his bar, which holds about 450 people, was run well and that 27 staff could lose their jobs if the licence wasn’t renewed.

But police submitted a list of 104 reported incidents they said had occurred since the bar’s licence was last renewed, in August 2016.

These included multiple accounts of patrons being so intoxicated they couldn’t stand up, sexual assault, fighting and glass bottles being thrown at police, staff and the public. Gibson confirmed one security guard had been let go after assaulting a patron.

More than 100 incidents have been recorded by police since the bar’s last licence renewal in August 2016 until March this year, which allegedly occurred inside the bar or were linked to it. (File photo).

Reports of assaults included a man dragging a woman by her hair inside the bar for five metres, female patrons and staff being punched in the face, a person’s nose being broken and a man being smacked to the ground, breaking his jaw and requiring surgery.

In one alleged incident inside the bar, a woman was punched in the head 10-15 times and had chunks of her hair pulled out. “The assault went on for quite a while before she was pulled off by security staff. Police arrested the woman for a serious assault,” evidence stated.

Police Inspector Brett Callander said a culture change needed to take place at the bar. “There needs to be a total change of mindset in how the place is operated … People believe they can get into The Establishment fairly easy, not just certain people but people in certain states,” he said.

Gibson acknowledged he had “let himself down.”

He had three convictions for drink-driving and had previously been found by police intoxicated in the bar, struggling to remain upright and slurring his speech, according to evidence presented at the hearing.

To try to convince the committee to renew his licence, Gibson said he would no longer drink at the bar, reduce opening hours on some days and offer additional training for all staff.

Council licensing inspector Lewis Howells said he believed the bar was the “highest risk” on-licence in Wellington.

Gibson’s lawyer Alastair Sherriff said there had been no prosecutions against the bar or any of its employees since the last licence renewal, and no enforcement applications against the licensee or any manager.

It also hadn’t failed any controlled purchase operations, an activity conducted to test a bar’s compliance with laws against selling alcohol to minors and no noise or nuisance complaints had been made to WCC, Sherriff said.

He also stated the bar wasn’t responsible for street safety or disorder. “The issues in the Wellington CBD related to alcohol – and in particular alcohol related harm – are community issues. Renewing or refusing to renew this licence or this licensee will not solve those issues,” he said.

The committee is now considering the application.