Sandy Calkin’s Wellington waterfront death to be examined

Monday, 5 August 2024

Roger and Maria Calkin were seeking answers from the coroner about the delays around releasing their son Sandy's body (Video first published in August 2021)

The Wellington City Council will this week be under the microscope as a coroner looks into how Sandy Calkin’s body was found in the city’s harbour more than three years ago.

Calkin, 30, went missing on July 10, 2021 after a night out with friends. His body was pulled from the water at Queens Wharf seven days later.

His father, Roger Calkin, has called for railings to be installed to stop others falling in to the water off the harbour wharves. But it turned out there were recommendations to the council for safety upgrades in the area dating back to 2016.

Another safety report in 2022 highlighted the risk of falling into the harbour near Te Papa. The following year, Christchurch teacher Isaac Levings was found dead in the harbour. It is believed he fell in near Te Papa and his father, Charles Levings, believed his son would still be alive if the council had followed the report’s advice.

In 2006, Daniel Hansman was dead found in Wellington Harbour; in 2010, Olivia Rutherford's body was found near Chaffers Wharf; in 2015, Finbarr Clabby was found under a Queens Wharf footbridge ; in 2016, Cory Ian Pearson drowned by Queens Wharf; in 2021, Sandy Calkin's body was found near the East by West Ferry terminal and, in 2023, Isaac Levings’ body was found in Wellington Harbour.

Two other people had fallen into the harbour on the night Levings died.

The council recently installed temporary fencing and now says it plans to install permanent barriers in coming years.

A coroner’s inquest into Calkin’s 2021 death begins at Wellington District Court on Monday and the witness list shows that it is the council under the microscope.

Five of the eight witnesses either work directly for the council or prepared reports for it.

Sandy Calkin’s parents, Roger and Maria Calkin.

The inquest will look to find out what caused Calkin’s death and the circumstances of it. It will also ask whether the council had adequate safety measures in place and whether it had taken steps to identify past incidents and mitigate dangers.

At least nine bodies have been found in Wellington harbour since 2006.

They were 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, Sarah Mayne in 2019, Calkin, and Levings.

There have also been many rescues of people who ended up in the water accidentally.

After Levings’ death, city councillor Nureddin Abdurahman called on the council to take action because “we cannot lose more lives on our waterfront”. On Sunday, he said he had asked for money for fencing to be put in the recently signed-off council 10-year plan but council staff told him they had to await the outcome of the coroner’s inquest.

Mayor Tory Whanau said a programme was under way looking at improving waterfront safety, including possible fencing and edge definition but she could not comment further due to the inquest starting on Monday.

Council spokesperson Victoria Barton-Chapple recently said the council was designing a more permanent solution for waterfront fencing, but more information about what that might look like was not available.

“The waterfront is a much-loved and increasingly well-utilised area of the capital, and Wellington City Council wants to ensure it is a welcoming place for all, at all times,” she said.