Licence suspended for store
A liquor store next to a high school has had its license suspended after being caught selling alcohol to a minor.
In a recent Alcohol Regulatory and Licensing Authority decision, a 48 hour suspension has been given to the Thirsty Liquor on Wickman Way in Mangere.
The store’s manager, Jagjit Singh Janjua, will also have his manager’s certificate suspended for 30 days from August 22.
Residents are voicing concerns after the decision was published, given its close proximity to Southern Cross Campus, a school that runs from year 1-13.
Mangere East Community Centre manager Hone Fowler says the store failed ‘‘a police controlled purchase operation (CPO) where they happened to sell liquor to someone under 18 years’’.
Janjua says the sale to a minor was a honest mistake and he is planning to rectify the situation by ensuring he looks at IDs a lot more closely.
‘‘It was a genuine mistake. I checked the driver’s licence and misread the 9 as 8. Even the constable confirmed that an ID was checked. The digits on the new driver’s licences are too tiny. I have got my eyesight checked and I do have a problem.’’
But it’s not the first time the store has been in the headlines. Southern Cross School opposed the store’s application for a license in 2014.
About a 100 people came out in protest, but opponents of the license say this was disregarded, and the store acquired a license. The store has been operating for a year.
Responding to the incident, Southern Cross Campus principal Robin Staples says it comes as no surprise.
‘‘It’s ridiculous to have a liquor shop right outside the school, we objected to their licence being granted,’’ he says.
‘‘We have consistently objected its existence and will continue to do so.’’
Jasmine Kovach, a member of the Respect Our Community campaign, shares the same sentiment.
‘‘Thirsty Liquor Wickman Way opened despite opposition from the community, and everyone feared that a minor would be sold alcohol,’’ she says.
The liquor store will have to renew its licence in November.