Assaults, crime, and peeing in the streets: Not just a night out in Wellington

Saturday, 10 June 2023

A 20-year-old student says she was walking down Dixon St when she was pulled into an alley and assaulted.

Crime, dirt, and car parks being used as public toilets. Locals say central Wellington is worse than ever – but Wellington City Council says it can’t be expected to act as superhero.

What will it take to clean up Wellington?

One retailer saw her dream of opening a shop in the central city sour within months. Cindyrellas’ move from solely online trade to its Manners St location had been the result of years of hard work, owner Cindy Figgess said.

Selling rockabilly clothing, Figgess said people would tell her the store fitted in well to the city’s artistic retail scene. Business was strong and booming.

“We were doing really, really well.”

However, six to seven months in, everything changed, Figess said. Manners St is well known to Wellingtonians as a hotbed of antisocial behaviour, with Te Aro Park the epicentre.

With the store directly opposite the park, Figgess said some of the antisocial behaviour started affecting her business.

Cindyrellas owner Cindy Figgess said she was driven from her Manners St location by the extreme antisocial behaviour in the area.

Once a man started swearing and abusing her, calling her “satanic”. Another time, one of Figgess’ employees was threatened by a man who, after she refused to give him cash, said he was going to “kill her”.

Figgess said a car park nearby was being used as toilet since the public toilets were closed down.

“You'll be leaving at the end of the night and there'll be two or three of them standing up against the wall going to the toilet.

“They call it the Golden Mile down there. Well, that ain't that anymore. The Brown Mile we call it.”

Figgess started taking a weapon into work, a cane with a dog head on the top. However, eventually the behaviour got too much for her to cope with, she said, forcing her to break her lease and return to solely online sales.

“You know, there were days when nobody would even come in, because nobody wants to go down here anymore.

“How are we supposed to have a cool city if you guys aren't even going to take care of it?

Businesses on Wellington’s Manners St say they have been abandoned to deal with the area’s antisocial behaviour.

Owner of Goods2U WELLINGTON Dollar store, Joanne Jeong, said she had grown accustomed to the crime in the area, having been at her store’s Manners St location for 13 years.

Jeong agreed with Figgess, saying she believed the antisocial behaviour in the park was driving away tourists and affecting her revenue.

While she had trespassed a few people from her store, including one man who flashed his genitalia at her while behind some shelves, she said it has not made any difference, with many people ignoring the order.

She said the area felt dangerous, and she often felt unsafe being alone in the store.

“I’m really scared. Why is it the city council can’t do anything?”

‘Wellington hasn’t been the same in a long time’

A 20-year-old university student said she was walking through central Wellington close to three weeks ago when she was attacked by an unknown man.

She had been drinking, and felt it was time to get something to eat, and then visit her friend in the area.

While she was walking down Dixon St, intoxicated, she heard a man say hello to her. When she responded, the man, who smelled like “urine and alcohol” proceeded to grab her and pull her into a nearby alley, where he started pawing at her breasts and genital area while covering her mouth.

“I was terrified. I was crying as it was happening as well. It was just so unexpected … The whole time I could hear music and I could hear people chattering but no-one could hear me.”

The 20-year-old woman said she managed to kick her attacker in the stomach and run away to her friend’s house nearby, where she immediately had a “huge panic attack”.

The student said she had been unable to sleep properly. She was waking up in a panic, and having hot and cold sweats.

Senior Sergeant Hamish Knight speaks about efforts that have been made to improve the Wellington CBD and how he can see positive change.

“This is the first time something like this has ever happened. Like being groped in town and clubs and everything, it’s quite normal, which is so awful.

“I know everyone says walk with a friend or something, but I just didn’t think I would need [a friend] to walk on a busy street. And the fact that no-one noticed … That bums me out.

“I’m just always on edge … Wellington has changed so, so much. People are more violent and high strung about situations. Like the smallest thing could like literally send someone over the edge … Wellington hasn’t been the same in a long time.”

The Pōneke Promise two years on: We are not crusaders in the night

In 2021, Wellington City Council in partnership with police and hospitality representatives launched the Pōneke Promise initiative, promising to bring down crime in the area.

Two years after it started, has the $7.7 million programme fulfilled its assurance to the people of Wellington?

Senior Sergeant Hamish Knight greets Wellingtonians in Te Aro Park.

Some say no. When meeting with The Post, Wellington City Council councillor Teri O'Neill said it was important to realise Wellington City Council was not a superhero like Batman, and there were limits to what one organisation could do.

“We are not crusaders in the night, trying to police our streets and beat up the bad guys, because we just can’t do that.”

Wellington City Council chief of staff Sehai Orgad said there had been a significant regulation in anti-social incidents in central Wellington as shown from CCTV data, with incidents down to 60 in 2022 from 320 in 2019.

“But again, people’s experiences and perceptions – although we do a whole range of other things – don’t always align.”

Pōneke Promise project manager Clara Breitenmoser said there were currently toilets being installed at the corner of Victoria St and Ghuznee St to replace the public ones that were removed.

Breitenmoser said the Pōneke Promise initiative currently had funding until 2024, but there were plans to extend the initiative, after Prak Sritharan joined the team in a central city manager role.

Senior Sergeant Hamish Knight says police have worked hard to improve safety in central Wellington.

Sritharan said the Courtney Place area had been deep cleaned and had graffiti removed to create more of a “vibrant” feel, with the feedback being overwhelmingly positive from the local business community.

Orgad said the issues in Wellington were not unique to the city, with the entire county undergoing similar issues with crime.

When asked whether residents will want to continue to live in the city if they continue to feel unsafe, Orgad said Wellington was undergoing a “huge transition currently”.

“I think every year leads to more planning, more development, more hope.”

Wellington Senior Sergeant Hamish Knight works within the Dixon St and Manners Mall area. When meeting The Post at Te Aro Park for an interview, he greeted everyone around him by name.

Has crime in central Wellington got worse? Knight says no. He thinks central Wellington has improved, he said.

“I’ve got a fairly good grasp of the pulse of the place … And I have to say, I’m pretty happy that we’re succeeding in that space.”

Knight said police have worked hard in conjunction with Wellington City Council to uplift the area, removing the public toilets and engaging with businesses to involve them in the local community, so everyone had “guardianship” of the place.

However, there was still room to improve, Knight said. The area was still a work in progress, with businesses, police, and Wellington City Council working to achieve what the Pōneke Promise had assured.

“We’re still working in this area.”