Patron Defends Actions in Huapai Tavern Licensing Dispute Over Child’s Behaviour

A District Licensing Committee hearing for Auckland’s Huapai Tavern hears evidence of a 2024 incident where a patron confronted a family over a child's behaviour.

By: AXL Media

Published: Apr 24, 2026, 11:18 AM EDT

Source: RNZ Pacific

The 2024 Incident at Huapai Tavern

The renewal of the Huapai Tavern’s liquor licence has met opposition from a local resident following a physical confrontation between a patron and a toddler. During the DLC hearing on Wednesday, Blair Shaw testified that in 2024, Maurice Hall approached his family’s table and struck his three-year-old grandson. Shaw described the incident as "completely unprovoked" and inappropriate, noting the child was in his grandmother's arms at the time.

CCTV footage reviewed during the hearing showed Hall walking across the bar to the group and making physical contact with the child’s bottom before picking up a dropped spoon and returning to his own table. The incident led to a formal police caution for Hall for "minor assault."

The Patron's Defence: "I Never Hit the Kid"

Maurice Hall addressed the hearing to defend his character and his actions, maintaining that his intervention was intended only to get the child's attention. Hall claimed the child had been running unsupervised around the tavern and throwing toys.

"I tapped them on the bum with the back of my hand... it was not a smack," Hall testified. He argued that the family had failed to supervise the child properly and that after his intervention, the child "sat down and all of a sudden started behaving." Hall expressed that he has since curtailed his visits to the popular northwest Auckland tavern to avoid being "deemed as a person who beats up children."