1 00:00:00,360 --> 00:00:03,200 Speaker 1: Either duplicy ellen rare thing to be able to say, 2 00:00:03,520 --> 00:00:06,800 Speaker 1: Wellington City Council has just made a sensible decision and 3 00:00:06,920 --> 00:00:10,240 Speaker 1: voted against directing offense along the entire length of Kumutoto 4 00:00:10,680 --> 00:00:12,959 Speaker 1: and Queenswarf. Now, if you know the part of Wellington 5 00:00:12,960 --> 00:00:15,680 Speaker 1: that I'm talking about here, it's the area seaside of 6 00:00:15,720 --> 00:00:18,400 Speaker 1: the TSB Banker readA and Fergs and Shed five and 7 00:00:18,400 --> 00:00:21,680 Speaker 1: Foxglove and so on. That whole area at the moment 8 00:00:21,720 --> 00:00:24,840 Speaker 1: has beautiful concrete walkways that have been laid lovely, lovely 9 00:00:24,920 --> 00:00:26,720 Speaker 1: seating and lighting and so on, And then there's a 10 00:00:26,720 --> 00:00:29,200 Speaker 1: little barrier either side of their sea. On the other side, 11 00:00:29,440 --> 00:00:31,680 Speaker 1: there's a little barrier that comes up to concrete barrier 12 00:00:31,720 --> 00:00:36,080 Speaker 1: maybe midshin for you. Now, Council officials planned to erect 13 00:00:36,080 --> 00:00:39,479 Speaker 1: a fence instead, full length fence either side of every 14 00:00:39,560 --> 00:00:42,120 Speaker 1: walkway up to about what i'd say one point two 15 00:00:42,280 --> 00:00:45,320 Speaker 1: one one point two meters or so, lining almost the 16 00:00:45,479 --> 00:00:47,680 Speaker 1: entire walkway three and a half k's of it, at 17 00:00:47,720 --> 00:00:50,680 Speaker 1: the cost of maybe as much as thirty million dollars. 18 00:00:51,080 --> 00:00:53,760 Speaker 1: And they wanted council probably because they realized how this 19 00:00:53,800 --> 00:00:55,600 Speaker 1: is going to go down with people. They wanted council 20 00:00:55,640 --> 00:00:58,480 Speaker 1: to rush through voting on it without talking to the 21 00:00:58,480 --> 00:01:01,640 Speaker 1: public about it first. Once Wellington City Council has actually 22 00:01:01,640 --> 00:01:04,000 Speaker 1: done the right thing and pumped the brakes here, I 23 00:01:04,040 --> 00:01:06,000 Speaker 1: think to be fair to the officials that this is 24 00:01:06,040 --> 00:01:09,120 Speaker 1: coming from a good place and that this is the 25 00:01:10,200 --> 00:01:13,000 Speaker 1: recommendation and account a coroner's report. A coroner's had a 26 00:01:13,000 --> 00:01:16,160 Speaker 1: look at somebody who's fallen into the water, died in 27 00:01:16,200 --> 00:01:17,840 Speaker 1: the drink and said you should put a fence up 28 00:01:18,200 --> 00:01:21,480 Speaker 1: because there have been a few examples lately, especially young 29 00:01:21,520 --> 00:01:23,880 Speaker 1: men who have got on the raz and then fallen 30 00:01:23,959 --> 00:01:25,840 Speaker 1: into the water and that has been the end of them. 31 00:01:26,400 --> 00:01:29,280 Speaker 1: But this is going to sound harsh, but I don't 32 00:01:29,280 --> 00:01:32,440 Speaker 1: think you fence off an entire walkway because some young 33 00:01:32,480 --> 00:01:35,040 Speaker 1: people sometimes have a drink and then fall in. I 34 00:01:35,120 --> 00:01:37,080 Speaker 1: don't want as much as you, I don't want people 35 00:01:37,160 --> 00:01:40,640 Speaker 1: to die needlessly in accidents. But there is a balance 36 00:01:40,640 --> 00:01:43,720 Speaker 1: to be struck here between personal responsibility and safety measures 37 00:01:43,720 --> 00:01:46,040 Speaker 1: that we put up to stop stuff happening. I think 38 00:01:46,040 --> 00:01:48,240 Speaker 1: you go for an intermediate thing here. You stick up 39 00:01:48,280 --> 00:01:50,240 Speaker 1: some lights, you make sure people can see where they're 40 00:01:50,240 --> 00:01:52,240 Speaker 1: going in the dark, but you do not fence off 41 00:01:52,280 --> 00:01:54,520 Speaker 1: the entire thing, because that is overkill. It is not 42 00:01:54,640 --> 00:01:58,480 Speaker 1: normal for us to have fences between ourselves and the sea. 43 00:01:58,880 --> 00:02:00,920 Speaker 1: Take Auckland, where I live at the moment. Go for 44 00:02:00,960 --> 00:02:03,400 Speaker 1: a walk under Auckland's harbor bridge. There are huge stretches 45 00:02:03,480 --> 00:02:07,440 Speaker 1: exactly like this, no fence whatsoever. You're walking there, there's 46 00:02:07,480 --> 00:02:09,359 Speaker 1: the sea. It's a fall down. You have to look 47 00:02:09,400 --> 00:02:12,280 Speaker 1: after yourself and be careful. Walk on piers anywhere in 48 00:02:12,320 --> 00:02:15,120 Speaker 1: this country they often do not have fences. You've got 49 00:02:15,160 --> 00:02:17,000 Speaker 1: a watch where you're going. You chuck up a fence. 50 00:02:17,040 --> 00:02:18,920 Speaker 1: You stop people doing what they're supposed to do in 51 00:02:18,960 --> 00:02:21,799 Speaker 1: the sea, which are sitting there looking at it, enjoying nature, 52 00:02:22,080 --> 00:02:25,239 Speaker 1: or fishing off the fishing off the walkway into the sea. 53 00:02:26,160 --> 00:02:28,440 Speaker 1: Think about what the Wellington officials trying to do here. 54 00:02:28,440 --> 00:02:31,040 Speaker 1: They were literally fencing off the sea. When you fence 55 00:02:31,120 --> 00:02:32,760 Speaker 1: off the sea, do you not think that you are 56 00:02:32,760 --> 00:02:36,200 Speaker 1: going just a little bit too far? For more from 57 00:02:36,240 --> 00:02:39,560 Speaker 1: Heather Duplessy Allen Drive, listen live to news talks. It'd 58 00:02:39,560 --> 00:02:43,640 Speaker 1: be from four pm weekdays, or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.