'Worst I've seen in 20 years': Hospitality workers grapple with crime in central city

Thursday, 18 February 2021

Wellington City councillor Fleur Fitzsimons spoke out in 2020 about the increasing violence in Courtenay Place.

Wellington hospitality workers have reached breaking point with the level of crime and disorder in the central city, with some claiming it’s the worst they’ve seen in 20 years.

A homicide investigation was launched after the latest violent incident in the city last weekend.

Simon Strickland’s life support was switched off on Wednesday after he was critically injured in an assault on Cable St outside Te Papa on Saturday.

Just over a month earlier, nearby on the waterfront by Te Papa, two men were stabbed in the stomach, after an altercation broke out between two groups following New Year’s Eve celebrations.

And last Friday, a 29-year-old was charged with wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, following a daytime stabbing at Left Bank in Cuba Mall.

Police committed more than 50 officers to patrol high-risk locations in Wellington, including Te Aro Park, in November, following an increase in violence and social disorder. (File photo)

* Wellington City councillor wants Courtenay Place bars to close earlier to combat rising violence

* Gang fears after two recent stabbings in Wellington party zone

Andrew Gibson, owner of The Establishment, who has worked in hospitality in the central city for about 25 years, described the situation as “out of control”.

“Town is crazy … It’s getting worse, I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Wellington bar JJ Murphy & Co general manager Eugene Wehrly has worked in Wellington’s hospitality scene for 20 years and says the level of crime he’s witnessed recently is the worst he’s ever seen.

Last week a patron who was denied entry to the Courtenay Pl bar threatened one of his security staff with a knife.

JJ Murphy & Co general manager Eugene Wehrly, said Friday’s stabbing near his pub on Cuba St was “the straw which broke the camel’s back”.

Wehrly has been in the city’s hospitality scene for 20 years and said the level of crime in the central city was the worst he had ever seen.

“I used to have security staff on Friday and Saturday nights, now it’s seven nights a week. I am genuinely concerned for my safety and the safety of my staff and patrons,” he said.

Monday’s meeting was organised by hospitality operator Matt McLaughlin. The hospitality industry is launching a range of initiatives as part of the social contract.

“The level of crime which has become the norm now is very different to what it used to be. The things I used to call police for I don’t even bother with any more, it’s that bad. There is a really tense vibe.”

The owner of The Residence on Courtenay Pl, Jose Ubiaga, who has also been involved in Wellington’s hospitality scene for 20 years, said he had noticed a “rougher element” to the environment in the past couple of years.

Last week one of his staff members was assaulted by a group on Courtenay Pl, suffering a concussion, chipped teeth, bruised ribs and a black eye.

Matt McLaughlin, owner of Panhead Tory St and Danger Danger said the central city had “changed for the worse”.

A multi-agency approach has been launched after a meeting regarding safety in Wellington’s central city. (File photo).

“It has a really unpleasant edge to it, it just doesn’t feel safe like it used to feel. I have been in the industry for 30 years and worked in the Courtenay Pl area since 1993, and it’s the worst I've ever seen it,” he said.

Hospitality New Zealand declined to comment on the issue.

Wellington Area Commander Inspector Dean Silvester said the suburb of Te Aro remained “the area of greatest concern” to police.

If a blanket trespass ban is implemented, troublesome patrons could see themselves banned from multiple bars in the city. (File photo).

In email correspondence with a city councillor, released to Stuff under the Official Information Act he said the use of hotels in the CBD for high-density social housing was having a real impact on the city.

“There has been a significant increase in our demand as a consequence of this,” Silvester said.

In a statement to Stuff, Silvester said police had recently noted an increase in calls for service in the central city, specifically relating to family harm.

”The experiences of our staff suggest this may be due to a changing dynamic in the central business district, with more long-term residents as opposed to visitors or tourists,” he said.

MSD currently uses emergency housing suppliers on Cuba St, Courtenay Pl and Manners St.

Regional Commissioner for Social Development, Gagau Annandale-Stone, said MSD was seeing many people who required emergency accommodation in Wellington.

“We attend meetings with Wellington City Council and police regularly and will continue to communicate with accommodation providers in the central business district, and our partner agencies, to ensure we are doing the best for our clients and the local community.”

In November, police deployed an extra 50 to 60 police officers to the streets to patrol “high risk” locations.

Operation Mahi Ngatahi was meant to run until the end of January, but has since been extended for another three months.

In September, a WCC report revealed anti-social behaviour and crime was occurring every hour of every day at Te Aro Park.

The Night Time Economy Forum, was also revitalised after police said it was attending a serious incident almost every weekend on Courtenay Pl.