The Alcohol Regulatory and Licensing Authority (ARLA) in Queenstown has been asked to rule whether Perky’s, a floating bar on Lake Wakatipu housed in an old boat, is a ‘conveyance’ or a ‘premises’.
ARLA decided in November last year that Perky’s was a conveyance, despite it being permanently moored to a jetty on the waterfront. While there were no objections to the licence being renewed for another three years, the decision to class Perky’s as a conveyance meant that owners Max, Wayne and Betty Perkins were required to take the boat out on the lake at least four times a year.
Queenstown Lakes district licensing inspector Sian Swinney appealed the decision, claiming that ARLA didn’t have the power to impose conditions such as they had, and requesting that the Authority redefine Perky’s as a premises. ARLA chairman Judge Kevin Kelly has reserved his decision.
