Four people were trapped in the Durie Hill Tower on Tuesday night after a security mistake.
Four people were trapped in the Durie Hill Tower on Tuesday night after a security mistake.
Whanganui District Council says a security guard’s error led to four people being locked in the Durie Hill Tower at night.
The Whanganui Fire Brigade and police were called to the tower on Tuesday at 11.43pm after four people became trapped past its closing time.
Council parks and property manager Tania Henare said following an investigation they found that, after being delayed on another job, a security guard had failed to walk the tower as agreed before locking the door.
“We have addressed this with Armourguard, who manage this task,” Henare said.
It was “an unusual event” and they were not aware of any recent incidents in which someone had been locked in the tower, she said.
The stone tower has a winding staircase with barred windows which leads up to a viewing point enclosed by a metal dome. It was built in 1925 as a memorial to fallen soldiers of World War I.
On Tuesday night, firefighters at the scene called the security company to let out the trapped people.
Henare said during the daylight saving period, the tower was locked after 8pm and no later than 10pm.
A sign at the entrance to the tower says: “This tower will be closed at dusk every day. When the hooter is sounded, please vacate immediately”.
The council said before the tower was locked, the contractor must walk to the top to ensure the tower was cleared of visitors. The hooter was no longer used and the sign would be removed.
Times the Durie Hill Tower gets locked
Daylight saving – After 8pm and no later than 10pm.
Non-daylight saving – After 7pm and no later than 9pm.
This story has been updated since first published to include a response from the council about the non-working hooter and removal of the hooter sign.
Eva de Jong is a reporter for the Whanganui Chronicle covering health stories and general news. She began as a reporter in 2023.
