Editorial: More needed to prevent another Loafers Lodge tragedy

Mike Wahrlich, Liam Hockings, Peter O'Sullivan, Melvin Parun and Kenneth Barnard were killed in the Loafers Lodge fire on May 16, 2023. Photo / Mark Mitchell

EDITORIAL

One year on from the deadly Loafers Lodge fire, a shocking tragedy that exposed the harsh realities of Wellington’s housing shortage, it’s hard to see what positive change has come for the city’s homeless.

A dawn ceremony was held on Thursday to mark the first anniversary of the boarding hostel fire that claimed five lives. A plaque was unveiled, speeches were given and a kōwhai tree was planted to remember the victims.

It was a fire met with shock and disbelief at the time, exposing a bleak housing reality of which many living in the capital were unaware.

Suddenly a community of already displaced people had lost everything. Their few possessions, their place of belonging, their friends – their lives.

In the immediate aftermath, Wellington rallied. People donated money, community leaders demanded better housing solutions, the Government launched a review into other similar buildings.

And yes, some positive change has come as a result.

The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) has completed its inspection of boarding houses across the country, uncovering more than 100 problems, including smoke detectors not working and unmonitored alarm systems.

MBIE head of building system delivery and assurance Simon Thomas said 87 per cent of the problems they discovered had been resolved.

The Government is introducing a new offence for negligent building inspectors and larger fines for property owners breaking the rules.

Building owners who fail to supply a Building Warrant of Fitness or display one will be fined $1000 instead of $250.

Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk has also prioritised a review of fire safety provisions in the Building Code. It’s the first full review in more than a decade and will focus on protecting people and property better.

“The review will consider the lessons learned from Loafers Lodge and other fire events in New Zealand and overseas, such as the 2017 Grenfell Tower fire in London where 72 people tragically lost their lives.”

Penk said these actions demonstrated the Government’s commitment to fire safety.

“The public can be assured that we take the matter very seriously and are acting decisively.”

These reviews and more hefty fines are a start. What they don’t address is the fact that people across New Zealand are continuing to live in sub-standard temporary or emergency accommodation.

Fire risk isn’t just about the condition of the building but the number of people living within a dwelling and the heating options available.

In an interview with NZME, Wellington City Missioner Murray Edridge said it was no longer good enough to expect people just to be housed. They needed to be living somewhere warm, dry and safe.

“I still think we have accommodation in our city that’s not up to standard and I still think we tolerate as a community people being housed in less than satisfactory accommodation,” Edridge said.

“My hope had been that the fire on the 16th of May 2023 would ensure that we were committed to it never happening again, but I think we’ve all moved on with our lives and the message has been lost.

“Unfortunately, the benefits that may have come out of it in terms of the learnings from it I think are still to be learnt.”

The fact that the first anniversary passed with little impact in Wellington enforces Edridge’s view that the city has moved on and the important messages from the time have been lost. It’s a sad but honest reflection.

If, as a society, we really want to ensure another tragedy of this nature never occurs again, it’s on all of us not only to demand better housing solutions but to support efforts to make that happen.

It’s something we owe not only to the five Loafers Lodge victims but to the countless others living in unsafe housing right now.