The Newlands Arms is Newlands' friendly local pub and sports bar, located behind Newlands Mall in Wellington's northern suburbs. Open seven days a week, it is built around the things locals actually want: sports watching, pool, darts, TAB, pokies, regular karaoke and live entertainment.
The pub is owned by Andrea and Paul Lloyd-Jones, longstanding Wellington-region publicans who previously ran the Railway Hotel in Otaki. They purchased the bar in 2007 while it traded as The Innkeeper — the venue began life as The Newlands Arms under the Johnsonville Licensing Trust — and restored its original name in 2014. You'll regularly see Paul and Andrea in the bar getting to know their customers, supported by manager Liz Boynton, assisted by Rose Manalang and John Giles.
Beyond the bar itself, The Newlands Arms is the social hub of Newlands. Its Social Club runs casino evenings, Christmas functions and social trips, while quiz nights and other fundraising events are regularly held at the pub in support of Newlands people and events. On Friday and Saturday nights the team even provides a subsidised taxi service to make sure patrons get home safely.
For takeaway needs, the Thirsty Liquor Bottle Store operates alongside the pub with regular liquor specials. Whether it's a casual weeknight drink, race day, a quiz night or live music, the team aims to make everyone — newcomers included — feel at home in what they call a nice, safe environment.
Step behind Newlands Mall in Wellington's northern suburbs and you'll find the neighbourhood's local living room: The Newlands Arms. It's Newlands' friendly pub and sports bar — the kind of place where the publicans are in the bar most days, the regulars wave newcomers in, and there's nearly always something on: a frame of pool, a leg of darts, the racing on screen, or a microphone waiting for the next karaoke singer.
The team here take hospitality seriously. Whether you're after sports watching, pool, darts, TAB, pokies, karaoke or live entertainment, this is the corner of Newlands built for it — open seven days a week, right in the heart of the suburb.
The pub has worn a couple of hats over the years. It began life as The Newlands Arms under the Johnsonville Licensing Trust, then traded for a stretch as The Innkeeper. In 2007, Andrea and Paul Lloyd-Jones — longstanding Wellington-region publicans who previously owned the Railway Hotel in Otaki — purchased the business, and in 2014 they changed the name back to The Newlands Arms.
Nearly two decades on, the owners remain hands-on. Paul and Andrea count getting to know their customers as the best part of the job, and you'll regularly find them in the bar being hospitable hosts. Day to day, the team is led by manager Liz Boynton, assisted by Rose Manalang and John Giles — a crew the owners describe as helpful, approachable and classic kiwi hotel people.
Sport is the pub's heartbeat. Coverage of racing and live sport fills the screens, the TAB takes care of race-day punters, and pokies are there for a quiet flutter. Pool and darts keep the competitive side of the regulars busy, whether you're after a casual frame or something a little more hotly contested.
When the sun goes down, the entertainment widens. Karaoke nights are a regular fixture, drawing singers out of the woodwork, and live bands play at the pub every month. Between the games, the screens and the stage, it's a rare evening that has nothing on.
The team calls The Newlands Arms part of the community, and the calendar proves it. The pub's Social Club brings members together for regular casino evenings, Christmas functions and social trips, while quiz nights and other fundraising events are held at the pub in support of Newlands people and local causes.
There's a practical side to the hospitality, too. On Friday and Saturday nights the team makes sure you get home safely with a subsidised taxi service — the kind of small gesture that has built the venue's reputation as a nice, safe environment where friendly locals love to welcome new people.
For takeaway needs, the Thirsty Liquor Bottle Store operates alongside the pub, with regular liquor specials promoted to locals.
The Newlands Arms opens seven days a week: Sunday to Thursday from 10am to 9pm, and Friday and Saturday from 10am until midnight. You'll find it at 15 Batchelor Street, just behind Newlands Mall in Wellington's north. Whether you're popping in to watch the game, joining a quiz night, or looking for a friendly corner of Wellington you may not have experienced yet, Andrea, Paul and the team will make you feel at home.