Pah cafe in new hands following liquidation

Auckland’s Pah Homestead cafe is under new management after Inland Revenue put the previous operator into liquidation.

Lockdowns, a tough economy and adverse publicity over disgraced arts patron James Wallace — even though Wallace had no direct connection with the cafe — have been cited among reasons for the liquidation.

Pah Homestead, registered as Homestead Limited, was owned by food writer and chef Sam Mannering, but was sold before the liquidation. Official assignee Anthony Pullan is the liquidator.

Pullan said Homestead Limited ceased operating, and as liquidator he was trying to see what could be recovered.

He confirmed neither the current nor previous cafe operator had direct links to Wallace, who was convicted of indecent assault and in August stripped of his knighthood.

“Even the entity that went into liquidation had really no connection to James Wallace other than operating from a place that he was a patron of.”

Pullan said Inland Revenue was by far the largest creditor. The tax department cited “economic conditions, external influences beyond the control of the director and Covid-19” as causes of the insolvency.

The first liquidator’s report showed unsecured creditors including Inland Revenue, BNZ and eftpos provider Smartpay were claiming $592,365.80.

Asked if the Wallace scandal had damaged the business, Pullan said: “It’s a bit of an awkward one because you’d never be able to piece together what effect that had on the cafe.”

The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s Insolvency and Trustee Service was appointed to liquidate the company in the High Court at Auckland on September 1.

The cafe is at the 1870s heritage site at Monte Cecilia Park in Hillsborough.

The new owners could not be reached for comment.

Work and Income’s Covid-19 wage subsidy search engine showed the company received almost $280,000 in subsidies between 2020 and 2021.

Mannering, who did not respond to requests for comment, opened Pah Homestead with Charles Williams and Connor Nestor. They parted ways in 2017, and Mannering became sole director from September 25, 2017 and sole shareholder from September 29 that year.

The historic building houses an art collection formerly linked to Wallace, who was convicted in 2021 of indecently assaulting three men and twice attempting to pervert the course of justice.