Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: The people who run Cornwall Park need to get a grip

We've got to talk about Cornwall Park.

So over the weekend, it was quite windy in Auckland. If you're in Auckland, you know what I mean - that was some crazy-ass wind that was going on out there, definitely found the drafts of my house.

If you're out of Auckland, it was kind of like a day in Wellington, but in Auckland. So it was unusual for us.

Now, I don't know where we got to in the end, but the forecast was for gusts of up to 120 km per hour. So the people who run Cornwall Park closed it on Sunday because of flying wood.

They were worried that staff and punters might be struck by flying wood, so they shut the gates and they closed the toilets and they closed the café and they closed the creamery, and they closed everything - closed the big store, closed everything - because of the flying wood.

Meanwhile, on Sunday, when Cornwall Park was closed, I went to another park, which was Victoria Park in the central city - which is also actually incidentally full of really old trees, and therefore bits of wood, lots of branches and twigs and stuff lying around.

And despite the fact that there were three of us at the park and it was quite windy, none of us was struck by flying wood, remarkably.

We also walked to the park down a road which is lined with old plane trees that have been there for at least 100 years. So if you're going to be struck by a flying tree - you know, like one of them falling down on your head - it'd be one of those.

None of them fell on our heads, nor did any of their branches or any of their flying wood.

Now, obviously, it's their park. So the Cornwall Park Trust board can shut the park if they like.

And probably what they will say is that they didn't want to put their staff at risk. And there'll be a lot of people in this country who'll nod their heads and say - “Look, that is the wise thing to do. After all, it is windy and there could be wood flying all around, and it might hit a staff member right in the eye and blind them forever. You never know. Better to take care.”

I look at this and think that's ridiculous that we are so worried and anxious - and frankly neurotic - that even wind is freaking us out now.

I would urge the people who run Cornwall Park to get a grip.

Farmers, they may be shocked to discover, often work outside in the wind, and there are lots of bits of wood flying around.

The Department of Conservation probably want to reconsider this, but at the moment, they still allow us to walk around in the bush in high wind. There are definitely lots of bits of wood lying around in the bush, if you know what I mean.

I mean, some people also have old trees in their backyards, and they're still there when it's windy, shockingly, and the trees don't always fall down in the wind.

This, I think, is the perfect example of how we are getting to be ridiculous over safety.

Yes, of course, you should reduce your extreme risks. Don't take unnecessary risks.

But you don't want to be reducing every single risk. Otherwise, you're just gonna be sitting in your house all day.

I don't think flying wood in a park on a windy day in Auckland is so extremely risky that staff must be sent home and members of the public must be banned from entry.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Got to talk about Cornwall Park. So over the weekend
it was quite windy in Auckland. If you were in Auckland,
you know what I mean. There was some crazy ass
wind that was going on out there. I definitely found
the drafts of my house. If you're out of Auckland.
It was kind of like a Dame Wellington, but in Auckland,
so it's unusual for us. Now. I don't know where
we got to in the end, but the forecast was
for gusts of up to one hundred and twenty k's

(00:20):
per hour. So the people who run Cornwall Park closed
it on Sunday because of flying wood. They were worried
that staff and punters might be struck by flying wood.
So they shut the gates and they closed the toilets,
and they closed the cafe, and they closed the creamery
and they closed everything, closed the Big store closed everything
because the flying wood. Meanwhile, on Sunday, when Cornwall Park

(00:43):
was closed, I went to another park, which was Victoria
Park in the Central City, which is also actually incidentally
full of really old trees and therefore bits of wood,
lots of branches and twigs and stuff lying around. And
despite the fact that there were three of us at
the park and it was quite windy. None of us
was struck by flying wood. Remarkably, we also walked to
the park down at a road which is lined with

(01:04):
old plane trees that have been there for at least
one hundred years. So if you're going to be struck
by a flying tree, you know, like one of them
falling down on your head, it would be one of those.
None of them fell on our heads, nor did any
of their branches or any of their flying wood. Now,
obviously it's their park, so the Cornwall Park truss board
can shut the park if they like, and probably what
they will say is that they didn't want to put
their staff at risk. And there we be a lot

(01:25):
of people in this country who will nod their heads
and say, look, that's the wise thing to do. After all,
it is windy and there could be wood flying all around,
and it might have to staff member right in the
eye and blind them forever. You never know better to
take care. I look at this and think that's ridiculous
that we are so worried and anxious and frankly neurotic
that even wind is freaking us out. Now I would

(01:46):
urge the people who run Cornwall Park to get a grip. Farmers,
they may be shocked to discover, often work outside in
the wind and there are lots of bits of wood
flying around the Department of Conservation probably want to reconsider this,
but at the moment they still allow us to walk
around in the bush in a high wind are there
are definitely lots of bits of wood of wood lying
around in the bush, if you know what I mean.
I mean some people also have old trees in their

(02:09):
backyards and they're still there when it's windy, shockingly, and
the trees don't always fall down in the wind. This,
I think is the perfect example of how we are
getting to be ridiculous over safety. Yes, of course you
should extreme, you should reduce your extreme risks, don't take
unnecessary risks. But you don't want to be reducing every
single risk, otherwise you're just going to be sitting in
your house all day. I don't think flying wood in

(02:30):
a park on a windy day in Auckland is so
extremely risky that staff must be sent home and members
of the public must be banned from entry. For more
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