Grieving dads call for permanent barriers on waterfront

Monday, 24 July 2023

Temporary barriers have been installed along the Wellington harbour wharves.

Two grieving fathers are calling for the Wellington City Council to make temporary barriers, installed around harbour wharves for the Fifa Women’s World Cup, a permanent fixture before more lives are lost.

“The amount of money to put up temporary [barriers]. Why not do the job once and do it right?,” said Charles Levings, whose son Isaac died after falling into Wellington Harbour in April.

Isaac Levings was at least the ninth body found in the harbour since 2006. Roger Calkin, whose son Sandy died after falling into the harbour in 2021, has been campaigning for the council to install permanent barriers along the public wharves to prevent further tragedies.

Sandy Calkin, left, and Isaac Levings, died after falling into Wellington Harbour. Both their fathers are saying the Wellington City Council needs to make temporary edge protection, there for the Fifa Women's World Cup, permanent.

The council regularly installs temporary barriers along public sections of the wharves when big crowds are expected but is yet to commit to permanent safety barriers.

Charles Levings said he fully supported Calkin and was looking to come to Wellington to meet with him.

“A couple of voices is louder than one,” he said.

He pointed out that it was not always intoxicated people who ended up accidentally in the harbour.

In 2012, Jason Myhill described how he was saved by a coffee cart owner after being blown in to the water by a strong gust of wind on a Saturday morning.

Calkin on Sunday said the fact the council was installing barriers for the World Cup showed it recognised the danger existed but refused to permanently do anything about it.

“The problem is, it is not when there are more people on the waterfront that people are high risk. People are there to rescue them and raise the alarm. It is when nobody is down there.”

Security camera footage shows Sandy Calkin was alone and walking along the wharves when he was last seen alive.

Council spokesperson Richard MacLean said the temporary barriers were erected at “pinch points and narrow spots” along sections of the waterfront. Some had been in place since Christmas, and some since Matariki and were remaining in place for the world cup.

“This is because of the likelihood of large crowds on the waterfront at times. We’ll review the situation at the end of the tournament,” he said.

This review would look into the possibility of permanent barriers as well as other options such as installations or lighting at the water’s edge.

He could not on Sunday confirm the cost of the temporary barriers but said it was “relatively small”.

Previous confirmed harbour deaths include Daniel Hansman in 2006, Olivia Rutherford in 2010, Renee Hudson in 2013, Finbarr Clabby in 2015, Cory Pearson in 2016, an at-the-time-unidentified woman in 2017, and Sarah Mayne in 2019.

After Calkin’s death, it emerged that there had been a number of safety recommendations about the waterfront made to the council in 2016 including edge lighting, barriers, seating to act as a barrier and repainting faded concrete walls.

Roger Calkin in November said that, had some of those recommendations been completed, his son could have possibly been saved.

Council spokesperson Victoria Barton-Chapple in November said the council was considering 'unobtrusive fencing in certain areas' of the waterfront. That could include the use of rope or low fencing.