The Fitz (Palmerston North)

The Fitz was a notorious popular bar in Palmerston North, New Zealand. Opened in 1966, it gained notoriety as a student tavern until it closed in 2008. The building included the former Carvery bar and a liquor shop. The FItz and Carvery sections of the building were destroyed by fire in October 2025.

The pub was opened in 1966.^[1] It became known as Palmerston North's most infamous pub due to its house rules: "no dancing, no public displays of affection, no drinking with your right hand, and no nudity before 10pm".^[1] One regular customer, Deemo, allegedly set a world record by drinking an entire crate of beer (12 745ml bottles) in 58 minutes; he also "strawpedoed" an entire bottle of vodka in 4 seconds before stapling his genitals to the bar.^[2] In 1999 the bar organised a public game of nude rugby.^[3] A 2003 report in Salient described it as "a low-rent bogan hangout" with sticky floors and a drunk man seated in a canoe urinating into a beer jug.^[4]

In September 2003 a student, William Cranswick, died of a head injury after a drunken game of bullrush in the bar. The bar's duty manager was charged with criminal nuisance and supplying liquor to intoxicated persons,^[5] but the charges were dismissed in November 2004.^[6][7] He was subsequently stripped of his manager's certificate.^[8] An inquest into the death was told that Cranswick could have survived if an ambulance had been called.^[9]

In 2005 the pub was criticised by the Alcohol Advisory Council of New Zealand for its irresponsible promotion of drinking.^[10]

The pub closed in December 2008 after its owners decided that it was "not in keeping with our core business".^[11][12]