Wellington skipper says waterfront balustrades would prevent deaths

In 2021, Sandy Calkin was captured on CCTV footage walking north on Queens Wharf before his body was found in the water.

A skipper who has saved several people from the water during his 15 years working at Wellington Harbour says balustrades around the most dangerous waterfront areas would prevent deaths.

The grieving parents of primary school teacher Isaac Levings say he became separated from his friends after a concert in Wellington, got lost, and accidentally drowned in the harbour last week.

Police found the 25-year-old’s body in the water on Friday. He is among several others who have died in the area including Sandy Calkin, 30, whose father also wants balustrades installed.

Skipper Kieren Boyle told Newstalk ZB that having large venues like TSB Arena on the waterfront without more safety measures in place was asking for trouble.

“To distinguish the actual ground from the harbour, you can do that during the day- you can see that it’s blue water and grey concrete. You go down there at night. it’s black on black.”

People who were intoxicated or from out of town were particularly at risk, Boyle said.

Tributes for Isaac Levings were placed outside his classroom at Elmwood School in Christchurch.

If people were walking on the waterfront alone and not looking where they were going, they could fall over the side of the wharf, he said.

“Then you’re trying to scratch onto the piles covered in mussels to get up the wharf. You don’t know where the ladders are because you’re not from Wellington, you’re not from the waterfront, and you can’t tell where the ladders are that are illuminated with red lights, you’ve just fallen into the water.”

He said there should be a balustrade along Taranaki St Wharf outside Te Papa and then from the bottom of the TSB Arena to where the maritime police boat is.

“Done, problem solved.”

Wellington City Council has confirmed it’s investigating how to make the edge clearer and more fencing to keep people from the wharf edge.

Roger Calkin, whose son died in a similar area to Levings, told Newstalk ZB he was gutted for the family.

“Gutted for everyone involved, it’s just so unnecessary.”

Calkin said the council should fence off or install balustrades along the most dangerous parts of the wharf.

“I don’t think it would be difficult at all for the council to do something about it.”