Both men had enjoyed nights out in the city – [Isaac] Levings at a concert at TSB Arena last Wednesday; Sandy Calkin on Courtenay Place. The last time either was seen alive was on the waterfront, with their bodies later pulled from Wellington Harbour.
But there have been several deaths and near-misses:
Yet despite Levings’ body being one of at least nine believed to be connected to Wellington’s waterfront since 2010, Wellington City Council has ruled out fencing the length of the waterfront.
A skipper says he has rescued a number of people from the harbour and that it’s a issue with TSB stadium and Shed 6 being only metres from the waterfront.
Recommendations for safety improvements over the years have included barriers or more lighting, however the waterfront remains unfenced and exposed, with limited lighting in places and scattered bench seats and life rings.
Wellington’s mayor, Tory Whanau, has declined to comment.
Roger Calkin’s son Sandy died in the harbour in 2021.
Calkin was concerned safety measures such as life rings, which are dotted along the waterfront, were “health and safety the wrong way ’round”.
He wanted balustrades to be installed, as has been done along much of Auckland’s Wynyard Quarter and Viaduct area.
“Keep them out of the water in the first place, and then you don’t have the problem. All the mitigation processes rely on people to be there when someone goes in the water.
“It’s all trip hazards along there. You’d get prosecuted if you had that sort of open water in your backyard and didn’t have a fence.”
Read more here. Discuss it on The BFD.