1
00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:02,759
Speaker 1: Got to talk about Cornwall Park. So over the weekend

2
00:00:02,800 --> 00:00:05,440
Speaker 1: it was quite windy in Auckland. If you were in Auckland,

3
00:00:05,440 --> 00:00:06,920
Speaker 1: you know what I mean. There was some crazy ass

4
00:00:06,960 --> 00:00:09,160
Speaker 1: wind that was going on out there. I definitely found

5
00:00:09,160 --> 00:00:11,920
Speaker 1: the drafts of my house. If you're out of Auckland.

6
00:00:12,000 --> 00:00:14,120
Speaker 1: It was kind of like a Dame Wellington, but in Auckland,

7
00:00:14,120 --> 00:00:15,920
Speaker 1: so it's unusual for us. Now. I don't know where

8
00:00:15,920 --> 00:00:17,840
Speaker 1: we got to in the end, but the forecast was

9
00:00:17,880 --> 00:00:20,200
Speaker 1: for gusts of up to one hundred and twenty k's

10
00:00:20,239 --> 00:00:23,640
Speaker 1: per hour. So the people who run Cornwall Park closed

11
00:00:23,680 --> 00:00:28,920
Speaker 1: it on Sunday because of flying wood. They were worried

12
00:00:29,040 --> 00:00:32,000
Speaker 1: that staff and punters might be struck by flying wood.

13
00:00:32,360 --> 00:00:34,720
Speaker 1: So they shut the gates and they closed the toilets,

14
00:00:34,760 --> 00:00:36,839
Speaker 1: and they closed the cafe, and they closed the creamery

15
00:00:36,880 --> 00:00:39,520
Speaker 1: and they closed everything, closed the Big store closed everything

16
00:00:39,640 --> 00:00:43,480
Speaker 1: because the flying wood. Meanwhile, on Sunday, when Cornwall Park

17
00:00:43,560 --> 00:00:45,760
Speaker 1: was closed, I went to another park, which was Victoria

18
00:00:45,800 --> 00:00:48,120
Speaker 1: Park in the Central City, which is also actually incidentally

19
00:00:48,159 --> 00:00:50,560
Speaker 1: full of really old trees and therefore bits of wood,

20
00:00:50,960 --> 00:00:53,760
Speaker 1: lots of branches and twigs and stuff lying around. And

21
00:00:53,800 --> 00:00:55,480
Speaker 1: despite the fact that there were three of us at

22
00:00:55,520 --> 00:00:58,320
Speaker 1: the park and it was quite windy. None of us

23
00:00:58,400 --> 00:01:01,800
Speaker 1: was struck by flying wood. Remarkably, we also walked to

24
00:01:01,880 --> 00:01:04,120
Speaker 1: the park down at a road which is lined with

25
00:01:04,200 --> 00:01:06,120
Speaker 1: old plane trees that have been there for at least

26
00:01:06,120 --> 00:01:07,679
Speaker 1: one hundred years. So if you're going to be struck

27
00:01:07,720 --> 00:01:09,640
Speaker 1: by a flying tree, you know, like one of them

28
00:01:09,680 --> 00:01:11,240
Speaker 1: falling down on your head, it would be one of those.

29
00:01:11,319 --> 00:01:13,440
Speaker 1: None of them fell on our heads, nor did any

30
00:01:13,440 --> 00:01:16,120
Speaker 1: of their branches or any of their flying wood. Now,

31
00:01:16,160 --> 00:01:19,800
Speaker 1: obviously it's their park, so the Cornwall Park truss board

32
00:01:19,840 --> 00:01:22,120
Speaker 1: can shut the park if they like, and probably what

33
00:01:22,120 --> 00:01:23,520
Speaker 1: they will say is that they didn't want to put

34
00:01:23,520 --> 00:01:25,280
Speaker 1: their staff at risk. And there we be a lot

35
00:01:25,319 --> 00:01:27,440
Speaker 1: of people in this country who will nod their heads

36
00:01:27,440 --> 00:01:29,399
Speaker 1: and say, look, that's the wise thing to do. After all,

37
00:01:29,440 --> 00:01:32,320
Speaker 1: it is windy and there could be wood flying all around,

38
00:01:32,520 --> 00:01:34,399
Speaker 1: and it might have to staff member right in the

39
00:01:34,440 --> 00:01:37,280
Speaker 1: eye and blind them forever. You never know better to

40
00:01:37,319 --> 00:01:40,160
Speaker 1: take care. I look at this and think that's ridiculous

41
00:01:40,959 --> 00:01:43,800
Speaker 1: that we are so worried and anxious and frankly neurotic

42
00:01:44,160 --> 00:01:46,560
Speaker 1: that even wind is freaking us out. Now I would

43
00:01:46,640 --> 00:01:49,680
Speaker 1: urge the people who run Cornwall Park to get a grip. Farmers,

44
00:01:49,880 --> 00:01:52,520
Speaker 1: they may be shocked to discover, often work outside in

45
00:01:52,520 --> 00:01:53,920
Speaker 1: the wind and there are lots of bits of wood

46
00:01:53,920 --> 00:01:58,200
Speaker 1: flying around the Department of Conservation probably want to reconsider this,

47
00:01:58,240 --> 00:01:59,800
Speaker 1: but at the moment they still allow us to walk

48
00:01:59,800 --> 00:02:01,880
Speaker 1: around in the bush in a high wind are there

49
00:02:01,920 --> 00:02:04,520
Speaker 1: are definitely lots of bits of wood of wood lying

50
00:02:04,560 --> 00:02:06,080
Speaker 1: around in the bush, if you know what I mean.

51
00:02:06,280 --> 00:02:09,320
Speaker 1: I mean some people also have old trees in their

52
00:02:09,320 --> 00:02:12,640
Speaker 1: backyards and they're still there when it's windy, shockingly, and

53
00:02:12,680 --> 00:02:15,040
Speaker 1: the trees don't always fall down in the wind. This,

54
00:02:15,200 --> 00:02:17,000
Speaker 1: I think is the perfect example of how we are

55
00:02:17,000 --> 00:02:21,240
Speaker 1: getting to be ridiculous over safety. Yes, of course you

56
00:02:21,280 --> 00:02:23,960
Speaker 1: should extreme, you should reduce your extreme risks, don't take

57
00:02:24,000 --> 00:02:26,760
Speaker 1: unnecessary risks. But you don't want to be reducing every

58
00:02:26,800 --> 00:02:28,440
Speaker 1: single risk, otherwise you're just going to be sitting in

59
00:02:28,440 --> 00:02:30,880
Speaker 1: your house all day. I don't think flying wood in

60
00:02:30,960 --> 00:02:33,200
Speaker 1: a park on a windy day in Auckland is so

61
00:02:33,520 --> 00:02:37,200
Speaker 1: extremely risky that staff must be sent home and members

62
00:02:37,200 --> 00:02:40,280
Speaker 1: of the public must be banned from entry. For more

63
00:02:40,320 --> 00:02:43,680
Speaker 1: from Heather Duplessy Allen Drive Listen live to News Talks.

64
00:02:43,680 --> 00:02:46,880
Speaker 1: It'd be from four pm weekdays, or follow the podcast

65
00:02:46,960 --> 00:02:47,919
Speaker 1: on iHeartRadio