September 11, 2025 • 6 mins
A much-loved flying fox in Paraparaumu is being shut down by the council after it failed to meet safety standards.
A frayed cable meant that residents woke up to find the ride padlocked and a sign saying it had been closed.
Paraparaumu Community Board Chair Glen Olsen told Matt and Tyler that “It was fast, it was long, and it was exciting, and it had a thrill”
He said that modern flying foxes are bound by safety restrictions that make the ride less entertaining for children.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:09):
You're listening to a podcast from News Talks'd be follow
this and our wide range of podcasts now on iHeartRadio.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
I much love Flying Fox and pata butter Umu has
been shut down by the council over safety concerns. Has
risk adversion killed the fun? Joining us right now is
patapata Umu Community Board chair Glenn Olsen. Glenn, very good
afternoon to you.
Speaker 3 (00:30):
Hey, good afternoon everybody.
Speaker 4 (00:32):
Hey Glenn, how good was this flying Fox? Was it fast?
Speaker 3 (00:35):
It was? It was fantastic. It was fast, it was long,
and you know, it was exciting and it had a
frill that you know known other of the firing foxes
in the area.
Speaker 4 (00:45):
How long was it around for Glenn?
Speaker 3 (00:47):
Well, I believe it's been there for about thirty years,
so it's you know, it's been there for a long time.
So it means that you know, not only the children,
but a lot of their parents used to write it
when they were children as well.
Speaker 4 (00:59):
A lot of dead bodies piling up at the end
of it.
Speaker 3 (01:02):
Not very many at all, No, No, I mean I
haven't heard of any injuries, you know, from this flying
and all the time that's there, and you know, I
grew up here and you know, went on it and
you know, although you know occasionally you fall off, you know,
you laugh it off, you get up and you run
back and go on it again.
Speaker 4 (01:19):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
So you've got kids yourself, Glenn, who are peak flying
Fox age. They must be pretty disappointed they can't have
a hoon on this thing.
Speaker 3 (01:26):
They are. Yes, So I've got three boys six, nine
and just about eleven, and all of them have you know,
spent countless time on this as Also there's a Scouts
fall right next to it, so of course you get
all Scouts children there who love it as well. So yeah,
and as I said, you know, it's just got something
that none of the upp flying Fox is here. It's
the only flying fox we have where children just want
(01:49):
to go on it again and again.
Speaker 4 (01:50):
So who shut it down and what led to it
being shut down, Glenn.
Speaker 3 (01:55):
So it was shut down by our parks team and
basically they did a safety check and they found that
the cable was free. So the first that the community
knew was they went down there to riders and they
had a padlock on it and a note on it
saying closed. And the community actually put a post up
on one of the local Facebook groups, and that was
(02:16):
also the first that we're on the community board found
out about it.
Speaker 4 (02:21):
So the cables freight, but they're not willing to replace
the cable.
Speaker 3 (02:28):
Well that's that's the issue. The issue is that if
they replace the cable now, as part of that, they
have to certify that it meets the late latest safety standards.
Speaker 4 (02:40):
And who's setting those safety standards?
Speaker 3 (02:42):
So my understanding that they come from central government work
in safety standards and you know, they are the standards
that the Council needs to abide to without doing so
if there you know, even though there hasn't been any
major injuries, if there was a major engined injury and
work and safety got involved, the first thing they would
(03:02):
want to know is why these rules weren't the regulations
weren't followed from the council.
Speaker 4 (03:07):
Well, I mean that's a insane because obviously kids need
to be on flying foxes. Well they need to be
making you know, learning risk and reward basically, and a
flying fox is a great a decent flying fox with
a bit of pace. It teaches you some valuable lessons
as a kid. As you say, Glen, you'll fall off,
but you'll learn some lessons there so is it possible
(03:28):
to unravel this? This sounds like it is deeply embedded
in you know, central and local government.
Speaker 3 (03:36):
It is. So look what's going to happen here. You know,
we will get a new flying fox. And what happened
was we had all the children come to our board
meeting and they all spoke, and they spoke on what
made this flying fox so important to them? And what
was great was it was our last meeting and we
had both the Mayor and the See of the Council
(03:57):
there and so I brought that memories of our sea's
own childhood and the flying fop. So the commitment that
He's given to the children as a result of this
is that we will get them most exciting and throwing
and dane jurists, you know, to an extend flying fox
that we can put back, which still meets the standards
(04:17):
that you know we need to follow.
Speaker 4 (04:19):
But are those standards because I've seen the new flying
foxes that have been put in to replace previous ones,
and there's a particular one I'm thinking about that is
so pathetic. I've never seen a kid on it, whereas
a good flying fox the kids line up to it
and they're sprinting back up to the top to do
it because of the risk factor of it and the
excitement factor of it. But if the flying foxes that
(04:39):
I'm seeing that have been put in are the ones
that fit the safety standards that they need to, then
the kids aren't. They may have a flying fox, but
it's not a flying fox. And the way we think of.
Speaker 3 (04:48):
It, yeah, I mean there's two flying foxes I can
think of close by another areas where where the children
do love and they you know my children as well.
There's one in an Avalon Park which are open a
few years ago, and that has two side by side
so they can actually have racists down them, and you know,
the kid love that. And it's you know, it's high
(05:11):
enough up there that gives you know a little bit
of a scare for them, but and fast enough that
you know, when they hit the back of it, you
have it aware and it gives you the pinion jumps
you up in the.
Speaker 4 (05:22):
Air, which is crucial, crucial dreams.
Speaker 2 (05:24):
And yeah, yeah, Glenn, yeah, thank you very much for
having a chat with us. Keep up the good fight.
We might touch base in a few weeks and see
where you're at. But really hoping this new Flying Fox,
if it does happen, is still thrilling fast and kick us.
Speaker 4 (05:38):
Yeah where Yeah, we're willing to come down and do
a danger inspection, like there's safety inspections and see if
it hits the safety standards. But there's another kind of
inspection do and check if it hits the danger standards
that also needs to hit.
Speaker 2 (05:49):
Yep, we can do that.
Speaker 3 (05:51):
No, that's right, and don't worry. I'll be one of
the first time as well, because I was on a
not that long ago and you know, I really enjoyed
it as well.
Speaker 4 (05:59):
Good on you, Glenn, Thank you, thank you for talking
to us today.
Speaker 2 (06:02):
Thank you very much. That is Glenn Olsen. He's the
UMU Community Board chair and clearly loves his Flying Fox
is good Man.
Speaker 1 (06:09):
For more from Newstalk st B, listen live on air
or online, and keep our shows with you wherever you
go with our podcasts on iHeartRadio.
You're listening to a podcast from News Talks'd be follow
this and our wide range of podcasts now on iHeartRadio.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
I much love Flying Fox and pata butter Umu has
been shut down by the council over safety concerns. Has
risk adversion killed the fun? Joining us right now is
patapata Umu Community Board chair Glenn Olsen. Glenn, very good
afternoon to you.
Speaker 3 (00:30):
Hey, good afternoon everybody.
Speaker 4 (00:32):
Hey Glenn, how good was this flying Fox? Was it fast?
Speaker 3 (00:35):
It was? It was fantastic. It was fast, it was long,
and you know, it was exciting and it had a
frill that you know known other of the firing foxes
in the area.
Speaker 4 (00:45):
How long was it around for Glenn?
Speaker 3 (00:47):
Well, I believe it's been there for about thirty years,
so it's you know, it's been there for a long time.
So it means that you know, not only the children,
but a lot of their parents used to write it
when they were children as well.
Speaker 4 (00:59):
A lot of dead bodies piling up at the end
of it.
Speaker 3 (01:02):
Not very many at all, No, No, I mean I
haven't heard of any injuries, you know, from this flying
and all the time that's there, and you know, I
grew up here and you know, went on it and
you know, although you know occasionally you fall off, you know,
you laugh it off, you get up and you run
back and go on it again.
Speaker 4 (01:19):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
So you've got kids yourself, Glenn, who are peak flying
Fox age. They must be pretty disappointed they can't have
a hoon on this thing.
Speaker 3 (01:26):
They are. Yes, So I've got three boys six, nine
and just about eleven, and all of them have you know,
spent countless time on this as Also there's a Scouts
fall right next to it, so of course you get
all Scouts children there who love it as well. So yeah,
and as I said, you know, it's just got something
that none of the upp flying Fox is here. It's
the only flying fox we have where children just want
(01:49):
to go on it again and again.
Speaker 4 (01:50):
So who shut it down and what led to it
being shut down, Glenn.
Speaker 3 (01:55):
So it was shut down by our parks team and
basically they did a safety check and they found that
the cable was free. So the first that the community
knew was they went down there to riders and they
had a padlock on it and a note on it
saying closed. And the community actually put a post up
on one of the local Facebook groups, and that was
(02:16):
also the first that we're on the community board found
out about it.
Speaker 4 (02:21):
So the cables freight, but they're not willing to replace
the cable.
Speaker 3 (02:28):
Well that's that's the issue. The issue is that if
they replace the cable now, as part of that, they
have to certify that it meets the late latest safety standards.
Speaker 4 (02:40):
And who's setting those safety standards?
Speaker 3 (02:42):
So my understanding that they come from central government work
in safety standards and you know, they are the standards
that the Council needs to abide to without doing so
if there you know, even though there hasn't been any
major injuries, if there was a major engined injury and
work and safety got involved, the first thing they would
(03:02):
want to know is why these rules weren't the regulations
weren't followed from the council.
Speaker 4 (03:07):
Well, I mean that's a insane because obviously kids need
to be on flying foxes. Well they need to be
making you know, learning risk and reward basically, and a
flying fox is a great a decent flying fox with
a bit of pace. It teaches you some valuable lessons
as a kid. As you say, Glen, you'll fall off,
but you'll learn some lessons there so is it possible
(03:28):
to unravel this? This sounds like it is deeply embedded
in you know, central and local government.
Speaker 3 (03:36):
It is. So look what's going to happen here. You know,
we will get a new flying fox. And what happened
was we had all the children come to our board
meeting and they all spoke, and they spoke on what
made this flying fox so important to them? And what
was great was it was our last meeting and we
had both the Mayor and the See of the Council
(03:57):
there and so I brought that memories of our sea's
own childhood and the flying fop. So the commitment that
He's given to the children as a result of this
is that we will get them most exciting and throwing
and dane jurists, you know, to an extend flying fox
that we can put back, which still meets the standards
(04:17):
that you know we need to follow.
Speaker 4 (04:19):
But are those standards because I've seen the new flying
foxes that have been put in to replace previous ones,
and there's a particular one I'm thinking about that is
so pathetic. I've never seen a kid on it, whereas
a good flying fox the kids line up to it
and they're sprinting back up to the top to do
it because of the risk factor of it and the
excitement factor of it. But if the flying foxes that
(04:39):
I'm seeing that have been put in are the ones
that fit the safety standards that they need to, then
the kids aren't. They may have a flying fox, but
it's not a flying fox. And the way we think of.
Speaker 3 (04:48):
It, yeah, I mean there's two flying foxes I can
think of close by another areas where where the children
do love and they you know my children as well.
There's one in an Avalon Park which are open a
few years ago, and that has two side by side
so they can actually have racists down them, and you know,
the kid love that. And it's you know, it's high
(05:11):
enough up there that gives you know a little bit
of a scare for them, but and fast enough that
you know, when they hit the back of it, you
have it aware and it gives you the pinion jumps
you up in the.
Speaker 4 (05:22):
Air, which is crucial, crucial dreams.
Speaker 2 (05:24):
And yeah, yeah, Glenn, yeah, thank you very much for
having a chat with us. Keep up the good fight.
We might touch base in a few weeks and see
where you're at. But really hoping this new Flying Fox,
if it does happen, is still thrilling fast and kick us.
Speaker 4 (05:38):
Yeah where Yeah, we're willing to come down and do
a danger inspection, like there's safety inspections and see if
it hits the safety standards. But there's another kind of
inspection do and check if it hits the danger standards
that also needs to hit.
Speaker 2 (05:49):
Yep, we can do that.
Speaker 3 (05:51):
No, that's right, and don't worry. I'll be one of
the first time as well, because I was on a
not that long ago and you know, I really enjoyed
it as well.
Speaker 4 (05:59):
Good on you, Glenn, Thank you, thank you for talking
to us today.
Speaker 2 (06:02):
Thank you very much. That is Glenn Olsen. He's the
UMU Community Board chair and clearly loves his Flying Fox
is good Man.
Speaker 1 (06:09):
For more from Newstalk st B, listen live on air
or online, and keep our shows with you wherever you
go with our podcasts on iHeartRadio.
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