'Not just a bar': Auckland locals threaten boycott over Gypsy Tea Room 'eviction'
Thursday, 11 June 2026
A real estate agency remains firm in its plans to redevelop a locally loved Grey Lynn pub despite an outpouring of opposition from nearby residents.
There were calls to boycott Barfoot & Thompson at a packed public meeting on Wednesday over its intentions to end the tenancy of the Gypsy Tea Room and turn the site into a local branch.
Meeting organiser Richard Upton, a lawyer, said the meeting was about “explaining to Barfoot’s that what they are doing is wrong”.
“I know it has a place in everyone's heart here, you know, it's so much more than just a bar,” said Upton.
At the meeting, Upton put the email addresses of senior Barfoot & Thompson staff on a projector, telling disgruntled residents to “remain vocal”.
“We need them to think we’re not going away … There is a sting in the tail to this decision and it will impact them financially,” he said.
In a statement to The Post, Stephen Barfoot acknowledged the concern, but said the company’s plans hadn’t changed.
“We understand this issue is important to many people and we respect the views that have been shared with us.”
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However, representatives of the real estate agency - including Barfoot - refused to attend the meeting.
“I asked them four times to come,” said Upton. “And, I made it very clear to them we didn’t want them to turn up so we could burn effigies and abuse them. To me the most insulting thing is that they are not listening to us.”
The crowd was asked for a show of hands of who was thinking of selling their home in the next five years - and who would no longer use Barfoot & Thompson to do so.
“Every person who turns their back on Barfoot, they lose the opportunity to have $35,000 [in commission],” Upton claimed.
Brooke Howard-Smith, a former TV presenter and NFT mogul, claimed he had sent the company a “20-something page report” on the financial risk it would face if it didn’t budge.
“We’re not here to save the Gypsy Tea Room, we’re here to save Barfoot and Thompson,” he said.
Howard-Smith claimed that if even “a percentage” of 3000 petitioners chose to use another real estate agency, “they're looking at a $7.5 million risk for this building”.
“There is no reason to even set up shop. They will go under in a matter of months in my mind,” Howard-Smith said.
The Post put those comments to Barfoot.
“While we appreciate that some people will be disappointed by our decision, our position remains unchanged,” Stephen Barfoot responded in a statement.
Meanwhile, Gypsy Tea Room owner Brett Simeti told the crowd he disputed comments from Stephen Barfoot that had been reported by media, including The Post.
“I really want to correct what’s been reported,” he said. “In 2025 they signalled they were going to redevelop the site … I explained my emotional attachment to it and I wanted to be part of whatever they did.
“When they came back to me there was no offer to give us the space adjoining the tea room. Because, reluctantly, I would have taken it.
“There’s never been an offer to put me next door.”
Barfoot told The Post that he had a “differing perspective”.
“An alternative location for the bar was presented to the tenant and was declined by them at the end of May 2025.
“We remain comfortable that we have acted in good faith and communicated our intentions clearly.”
Howard-Smith asked the crowd for “a commitment to make a stand”.
“If we're in this now, we're in it for the next five years,” he said.
Upton told the crowd there was “a win here” if Barfoot & Thompson were willing to come to the table.
“They extend the gypsy's lease in its current site and they could work upstairs … Think about the community goodwill if they listen to us.”
“This is not building the Great Wall of China. They can easily reverse and start again.”