Councillor says safety not prioritised as Wellington waterfront fence voted down

RNZ News

6 days ago

Iona Pannett.
Photo:
RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
A Wellington City Councillor is disappointed the council voted against a
$7 million proposal to urgently put fences up around Wellington's waterfront.
The proposal came after a coroner's report into the
death of Sandy Calkin in 2021.
The 30-year-old fell off Queens Wharf and drowned on his way home from drinks with friends.
The coroner called for immediate action in "high-risk" areas of the waterfront.
Councillors wanted more time to assess the effectiveness of the safety measures that had already been put in place, such as extra lighting.
Councillor Iona Pannett, who voted in favour of the fences, told
Morning Report
public safety should have been prioritised.
"I think the families who have lost loved ones needed a bit more from the council particularly given the coroner had identified some failings in the way we had dealt with safety on the waterfront," she said.
Pannett believed councillors who voted against the proposal had some concerns around the cost and the impact of people's relationship to the environment by putting fences in.
"It was $7 million for the Kumutoto and Queens Wharf part, there had been some estimates of up to $20 million for the rest of it but that work hadn't actually been done so really the focus was on $7 million. NZTA values a life at $12.5 million so I think the cost benefit was good in this case," she said.
Graphics show how the Wellington waterfront would appear with balustrades.
Photo:
Supplied / Wellington City Council
Council officers recommended installing the balustrades on Kumutoto and Queens Wharf without community consultation to give urgency to the coroner's recommendations.
Chief operating officer James Roberts told the meeting balustrading was the only practical option for those areas, which were narrow in parts and busy, with a high concentration of bars and restaurants.
"Our advice is that, given the limited options available, which is either balustrade or do nothing, you are able to make that decision today, enabling officers to get on and address this outstanding public safety issue without delay.
"For the rest of the waterfront, there are multiple practicable options and public consultation can help guide your decision-making."
He acknowledged council had improved safety already with measures like extra lighting, but said the risk of an accidental fall was not fully removed.
"If council wants to improve public safety here, there really is no other way of doing it."
Councillor Ben McNulty said, while he voted against the spend, he still wanted improved waterfront safety.
"I'll be voting against the paper, so that we can have some time given to monitor the effectiveness of the improvements that have already been made or are underway.
"Targeted safety improvements could be presented to a future council, if required."
Councillors Pannett, Sarah Free, Laurie Foon and Nureddin Abdurahman voted for, with the remaining 13 councillors voting against.
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