The Government intends to find investors for Kiwibank and plans for partial strikes pay deductions are being scrutinised. Video / NZ Herald
* Gisborne District Council has been briefed about ongoing abuse and threats against public-facing staff.
* A photocopier was thrown in the city’s public library and there have been problems with drug and alcohol use outside the front doors.
* Council staff are now meeting with police monthly for safety training.
Levels of abuse directed at Gisborne council staff have meant employees now meet monthly with police for safety training.
The Herald reported earlier this year about staff at Kiwa Pools – owned by the Gisborne District Council (GDC) - undergoing “de-escalation” crisis training following regular abuse from the public.
In the first five months of its operation, police attended three incidents there and two people were trespassed.
There have been similar problems at Gisborne’s HB Williams Memorial Library, including GDC councillors being briefed on an incident where someone threw a photocopier, and drug and alcohol use has been observed outside the building.
In October, GDC officials discussed the increase in staff abuse and other behavioural incidents at the facility.
The growth in incidents came as an increasing number of homeless people visited the library during opening hours, and gathered outside it after-hours.
A GDC health, safety and welfare document given to the council last week said most incidences of staff abuse happened at the library.
In a move to try and stop it, the council trialled turning off free Wi-Fi – which has a signal strong enough to work outside the building. It was an initiative which was considered to reduce the likelihood of people gathering outside the library in the hours of darkness..
It is unclear if the trial will lead to a permanent Wi-Fi availability policy.
The council document said protecting staff was a priority and public-facing teams would continue to meet monthly with police for “online situational awareness training ... and further face-to-face training [is] planned for 2025″.
Gisborne Distrct Council officials continue to work on initiatives to keep staff members who deal with the public safe. Photo / Alan Gibson
The council document said there were “ongoing problems with people sleeping rough at the library”.
But not all of the incidents involved homeless people.
In October, GDC councillor Tony Robinson had suggested a number of changes to the library’s Wi-Fi; including cutting it as a free service or restricting its hours of use.
But Local Democracy Reporting said Mayor Rehette Stoltz told the council that homeless people had the right to use the Wi-Fi.
Staff at Kiwa Pools have undergone de-escalation training in a bid to keep them safe. Photo / Gisborne Herald
In May, Kiwa Pools aquatic manager Campbell Macgregor told the Herald: “It’s disappointing for our hard-working staff to have to focus on behavioural management in areas that have been built for our whole community to enjoy.”
Macgregor said such behaviour affected “all council spaces” and not just Kiwa Pools.
“This training empowers our staff to understand situations that they might experience and allow them to be safe and keep our community safe within a council facility that is designed to support all of our community,” he said.
“As much as these incidents have increased, they are still the exception.”
Neil Reid is a Napier-based senior reporter who covers general news, features and sport. He joined the Herald in 2014 and has 30 years of newsroom experience.
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