Grandfather Calls for Safer Management at Huapai Tavern After Grandson Assaulted by Drunk Patron

An Auckland man has called for improved management at a rural pub after his three-year-old grandson was assaulted by a drunk patron during a family dinner in November 2024.

Blair Shaw was the sole objector at an on-licence hearing before the District Licensing Committee on Wednesday for the Huapai Tavern in northwest Auckland. He stated that while he did not oppose the renewal of the tavern’s licence, he urged the committee to ensure the venue implemented better policies to prevent future assaults.

Shaw told the committee, chaired by Michael Goudie with panellists John Robinson and Wilson Young, that the tavern was an unsafe venue due to its failure to protect his family from the incident. According to Shaw, a heavily intoxicated patron walked from two tables over and struck his grandson on the bottom in what he described as a “completely unprovoked attack.”

The patron then picked up a spoon the child had dropped on the floor before returning to his table and telling Shaw’s wife to “control your kid.” Shaw said there had been no prior interaction with the patron, no complaints from other customers about the child’s behaviour, and no intervention from staff before the assault occurred.

When Shaw approached the patron to address the incident, the man denied hitting the child and, according to Shaw, “absolutely reeked of alcohol.” Shortly afterward, another patron attempted to assault Shaw, and his family was subjected to verbal abuse from others in the venue.

Shaw said the rest of his family left the premises, while he remained to speak with management. He claimed that staff did not call the police after the incident, forcing him to do so himself following his own assault.

Huapai Tavern staff member Shane Parker told the licensing committee that the child had been “running around, causing a bit of a scene.” When asked if staff had addressed this behaviour with Shaw’s group before the incident, Parker said they had not.

Shaw emphasized that he was not seeking to prevent the tavern from renewing its licence but wanted assurances that management would improve its handling of intoxicated patrons and enhance staff training to prevent similar incidents in the future.