Wellington's deadly harbour: Drowned man's dad slams lack of safety measures
Saturday, 22 April 2023
When Roger Calkin saw that police were searching for a man last seen late at night near Wellington’s waterfront, he began reliving the 2021 death of his son.
The body of missing man, Isaac Levings, was found in Wellington Harbour on Friday. Sandy Calkin’s body was pulled from the harbour in July 2021.
Both men had enjoyed nights out in the city – 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.
“It brings it all back. It’s exactly the same, the police report of a missing guy looked exactly like Sandy’s police report when he went missing, just a different photo, that was all. It just smacks you in the teeth that nothing’s been done,” Roger Calkin said.
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“People should be able to go out and have a good time, but they need to be safe when they leave a venue,' Calkin said.
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.
“Unbelievable,” skipper Kieren Boyle said.
“I live and breathe this place because it’s my job to… I can tell them straight away, a balustrade would have saved every single one of those lives.”
He has rescued several people from the water in the 15 years he’s worked in the harbour, including two who went in at Queen’s Wharf at night.
He believed they “would have been goners” if he hadn’t been there to save them.
It was a massive problem that venues Shed 6 and TSB Arena, which catered for about 15,000 people, were both within metres of the waterfront, Boyle said. He shared Calkin’s anger.
“I’ve had enough of the council taking the piss. It’s not a personal vendetta, it’s just safety. I’ve had to physically pull people out of the water.'
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.
“I felt last night, you’re [the council] letting people down by not actually dealing with it,' Calkin said.
Mayor Tory Whanau would not yet comment on possible safety improvements: “For now, I'm just sharing my thoughts with friends and whānau of Isaac at this tragic time. I’ll be discussing more about safety improvements in a couple of days.”
In November 2022, Wellington City Council said it was considering fencing along some parts of the waterfront. This was still the case, chief executive Barbara McKerrow said in a statement.
Since the council assumed direct responsibility for waterfront operations in 2014, there had been improvements to lighting, edge identification and edge protection and life rings and illuminated ladders installed, she said.
“New structures we have built generally include handrails and upgraded lighting in places where deemed appropriate such as bridges, access points and promenades.
“Although there is no intention to fence the entirety of the waterfront, the council is currently investigating enhanced edge definition and further fencing to deter people from accessing the wharf edge,' McKerrow said.
The waterfront was a “unique public space that maintains its connection to the harbour and provides for hospitality, recreation and event related activities”, McKerrow said.
Since his son’s death, Roger Calkin has extracted stacks of information about what happened that night and was promised an apology from the Coroner's office for the delays in releasing his son's body. He says he’s still waiting for it.
A Coroner’s inquest into Sandy Calkin’s death will go ahead later this year.
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.”
Police would not comment on where in the harbour Levings was found or where he entered the water, as his death is before the Coroner.
‘Treasured colleague, gifted teacher’
A statement from the board of Christchurch’s Elmwood Normal School, where Levings taught, said his death was a tragedy.
“Isaac was a treasured colleague, gifted teacher and friend to all,” presiding board member Julia Hurren said.
“The children and school community loved him dearly and he will be greatly missed by all those who had the privilege to know him. Our thoughts and condolences are with Isaac’s family, friends and loved ones at this very sad time.”
Wellington’s dangerous waterfront
August 17, 2006: The body of missing student Daniel Hansman is found in Wellington Harbour.
February 16, 2010. Missing teenager Olivia Rutherford’s body is found near Chaffers Marina. Her bag and wallet are earlier found on the City to Sea Bridge by Whairepo Lagoon.
November 5, 2011: A pensioner is rescued alive from Wellington Harbour after slipping from Taranaki Wharf while waiting to see fireworks display. She is saved by a senior constable, hypothermic, in shock and near death.
April 6, 2012: A man is found clinging to Queens Wharf, believed to be minutes from death.
December 2, 2013: The body of Renee Anne Hudson, 35, is found floating in Wellington Harbour, by the East by West Ferry terminal.
July 5, 2015: Irishman Finbarr Clabby, 39, is found dead, fully clothed, under a footbridge in the Queen’s Wharf area.
Sept 26/27, 2016: Cory Ian Pearson, 26, drowns in Wellington Harbour by Queens Wharf. The inquest report cannot determine how he ended up in the water.
April 21, 2017: Police find a middle-aged woman's body in the water near Queens Wharf.
February 2019: Sarah Pauline Louise Mayne, 48, is found by Whairepo Lagoon, near Frank Kitts Park. The coroner rules her death was most likely due to falling in the water while intoxicated.
November 2020: Courtney Beck, 21, is rescued alive after falling into the water after a night out and hitting her head on a beam.
July 10, 2021: Sandy Calkin, 30, dies having fallen into the water near the East by West Ferry terminal. His body is recovered six days later. An autopsy rules he drowned.
December 23, 2021: A man’s body is pulled from Wellington Harbour, near the boat sheds.
April 21, 2023: Missing man Isaac Levings’ body is found two days after he was last seen after a concert.