ROYAL COMMISSION FINDS MANGAPAPA DUNNY CLOSURE "NOT A WELLNESS EVENT"
After 14 months and $2.3m in costs, the Commission finds the toilets are still shut.
The Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Closure of the Roslyn Road Public Conveniences, Mangapapa, has delivered its interim report. It finds, on the balance of probabilities, that the toilets are closed.
The Commission heard from 47 witnesses. These included three Gisborne District Council staff, a Wellington consultant who charged $4,200 to appear via Zoom, and a woman named Denise. Denise had been caught short outside the Mangapapa dairy on 14 occasions.
"The Commission accepts Ms Rautahi's evidence that she was, and I quote, 'absolutely busting'," the report states at paragraph 88. "We find the Council's use of the phrase 'wellness refurbishment' to be a piss-take of considerable scale."
Council facilities manager Grant Whelan was called under summons. He told the Commission the work was "progressing to plan" and involved "reimagining the user journey". Asked by Commissioner Dame Patricia Ngata KC what a user journey was, Mr Whelan requested a short adjournment. He did not return.
Recommendation 14 calls for the immediate reopening of the toilets. Recommendation 15 calls for the Council to stop using the word "journey". Recommendation 16 suggests the consultant give the $4,200 back. The Commission concedes this is "outside our jurisdiction".
The toilets remain closed. A laminated sign on the door, updated in a different pen each quarter, reads "reopening winter". The year has been scratched out.
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Reader Letters
Trev_Hornby
What a serious piss-take!
Garry (Halswell)
I remember when public conveniences were more than just an inconvenience. Were it back in my day, we had our dunnies running smoothly and you'd simply call Bob down the road to fix a blocked loo. Now they'd rather commission some fancy report for two million bucks! Unbelievable how these councils waste rates.
nerdy_nick
Mate, that's not what 'user journey' means. It's corporate jargon for the steps a person takes to complete a task. Doesn't excuse the council's bullshit, though!
MumOf3_Gisborne
14 times caught short?! Denise deserves a medal or at least a key to the city! The council should be bloody ashamed.
couchgremlin
Give Denise a key, simple.
Conspi_Rox
Typical cover-up. Why is no one asking why Grant Whelan never returned after that adjournment? Maybe he pissed off to plan some secret operation in the bush. These councils always have something shady up their sleeves.
ropeable_dave
@Conspi_Rox I bet they didn't even scratch off the year on that sign! Classic council behaviour.
wayne1987
Sounds like a load of shit for $2.3 million.