DoC's Management of Public Risk

[Fish 0]

Radio NZ has been doing some proper journalism today.

 

DoC has completed two risk assessments in the last 10 years that identified the Cape Kidnappers day walk as too risky. Further, the neighbouring land owner (who runs tours to Cape Kidnappers) advised DoC that walking on the beach under the crumbling sea cliffs is very dangerous.

 

DoC then went on to heavily promote the Cape Kidnappers walk as part of the 'Great Walks' package.

 

Then two Korean tourists were seriously injured when they were pushed into the sea by a substantial rock fall.

 

Only now, despite having had documented the risk for a decade (and been informed of it as recently as last year) are DoC reviewing all the other Great Day Walks, to check they haven't fucked all of them up either.

 

Now, which Government Department is it that is responsible for the 3 m long, 350 kg apex predator that is out of its natural habit, has become accustomed to humans, and has domiciled itself in the biggest marina in the Southern Hemisphere?

 

If you think DoC can't manage public safety when it has documented unacceptable risks for something as blindingly obvious as crumbling sea-cliffs, do you think DoC is at all capable of managing the risk to the public of an apex predator out of its natural environment?

 

I am 100% confident that DoC are entirely incompetent at managing the presence of the Leopard Seal and the risk that poses to public water users in Auckland.

Good one DoC. I thought systemic changes were made after Cave Creek. I guess those have been lost in cost cutting somewhere. Maybe it was too long ago that people died?

 

https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/383359/cape-kidnappers-slip-unacceptable-risks-raised-in-2017-report

https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/383437/new-zealand-s-great-day-walks-being-reviewed-after-cape-kidnappers-slip

https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/380795/kidnappers-rockfall-something-we-ve-feared-will-happen-tourist-operator

 

 

RNZ revealed that before two tourists were seriously injured by a slip at Cape Kidnappers last month, DOC had identified the potential for slips and rockfalls in the area as unacceptably risky.

Rock falls and slips at Cape Kidnappers were identified by the Department of Conservation as a "significant" and "unacceptable risk" a decade ago, documents obtained by RNZ show.

 

The owner of Gannet Beach Adventures says he first warned the Department of Conservation about the dangers of walking along Cape Kidnappers in 2017.