The Auckland District Licensing Committee has declined a liquor license for 501 deportee from Australia, Moses Folau.
Folau was applying to allow his to sell alcohols for his downtown Auckland private members club.
The committee said it may rule differently in future if he gains more bar management experience, reported the New Zealand Herald.
There were no public objections to the liquor licence application and the medical officer of health did not raise any concerns, the Herald said.
“However, Auckland Council alcohol licensing inspector Scott Evans opposed Folau’s application on the grounds of his criminal history.
“He has 10 convictions in Australia, including a jail term for an assault, and three more since being deported to New Zealand”.
Folau, 38, was deported from Melbourne in 2016 and he appeared on the news at the time after he was “presented with a big bill by the Australian government despite assurances that people sent back to New Zealand won’t be charged”, according to a report by RNZ.
Folau was told to pay $A2886 for airfares for himself and his security escort who travelled here at the time.
Mr Folau, who grew up in Australia since he was six, had been held in Maribyrnong Detention Centre for seven months when he agreed to be deported to New Zealand, fearing he might otherwise be sent to Christmas Island.
“I said I’m not going to sign [the bill] because I have the minister’s statement from December the 8th, 2015, stating that Kiwis … don’t have to pay, he said.
“So they were trying to pretty much stand over me, trying to scare me with cancelling my ticket.”
