WorkSafe is investigating after a Christchurch mother spoke out about a part falling from a Ferris wheel while her three-year-old child and partner were on the ride at the Illuminate light show.
Chris Lynch Media can reveal it was one of two incidents reported on Sunday at the Botanic Gardens.
Jess Maynard, who contacted WorkSafe and Christchurch City Council directly, said the incident happened around 12.15pm while her family was on board.
“My three-year-old and my partner were on the Ferris wheel, and after two or three spins my partner texted me saying a big bolt had come off,” she said.
“At first I thought he was joking, but then I saw a young guy come over and screw it back in. They didn’t stop the ride, they didn’t call the manager, they were just very chill about it. One of the operators even said, ‘don’t worry, it’s only one of five’, which did not reassure me at all.”
She said there was no apology or explanation, leaving her unsettled. “It just left a really bad taste in my mouth. I rang WorkSafe myself the next morning because I wasn’t satisfied with how it was dealt with.”
Maynard said she later discovered a similar incident happened again that evening, when another mother reported a piece of metal coming off the same ride.
“What frustrates me is that the organisers made it sound like this only happened once and that it was just cosmetic. But the piece that fell off for us was the size of my partner’s palm, much bigger than the five centimetres they claimed.”
In a statement to chrislynchmedia.com, Event Hire operations manager Michael Dewar said the Ferris wheel remained safe.
“We want to reassure the public that our Ferris Wheel remains safe to operate after a small cover plate on one of the drive wheels was seen working loose last night. Safety remains our top priority, and we take any concern raised seriously.
“While we understand there may be public interest, we want to be clear: this was a minor maintenance issue, not a fault with the ride itself. We are grateful for the professionalism of our staff, the council engineers, and our certifying engineer in confirming the ride’s ongoing safety.”
Dewar said the loose plate was less than 200 grams, around 5cm in diameter, and only cosmetic. “It does not affect the operation, structural integrity, or safety of the ride. The part is not part of the structural load path. Our team acted quickly, radioing the issue through and reattaching the cover within minutes. This morning, a Christchurch City Council engineer inspected the ride, confirmed the fix, and was satisfied with the additional steps we have taken, including fitting a spring washer to ensure the cover remains secure.”
He added the ride had also recently been reviewed by a certifying engineer and was independently certified every two years, approved by WorkSafe, and inspected by the local council each time it was set up.
But another customer disputed Event Hire’s explanation.
Christchurch mother Abby Dickie told Chris Lynch Media the part she saw fall in a separate incident on Sunday night did not match the company’s description.
“I am not one to put myself out here like this but I am furious with Event Hire’s response, to be honest. Last night at approximately 9pm my children rode on the Ferris wheel at Illuminate. My sister was in one carriage with my son and her partner was in another carriage with my other son.
“They were up in the air when, from above them, a metal disc with a screw or bolt through the middle fell past them to the ground. They got off and were really scared. The term ‘Final destination vibes’ was used. I contacted Illuminate and they basically just said the rides were all signed off and compliant.
“I responded that it’s all good and well that they’re signed off, but I fail to see how they can be compliant when parts are literally falling off while in motion and full of people and children.”
Photo: Supplied / this is the part which Jess said came off.
Dewar said that in the incident, “the ride was stopped immediately, and reviewed by both owners at the time, as the cover was re-attached.”
But Jess described a very different experience. She said her biggest concern was the lack of urgency from staff.
“They didn’t stop the ride properly, they didn’t bring the manager over, and the operators were just standing there on their phones. When the manager did show up a short time later, she didn’t even ask us what had happened, she just put a teddy bear on a seat and took an Instagram photo. That’s not how you deal with safety issues when kids are involved.”
Jess said she believed the matter only gained attention because it was raised on social media.
“I guarantee they wouldn’t have reported it if it hadn’t hit Facebook. From what I understand, they legally have to report issues like this to WorkSafe themselves, but in this case it was me who picked up the phone.”
Supplied
A WorkSafe spokeswoman confirmed to chrislynchmedia.com it had launched an investigation.
“A member of the public notified WorkSafe about parts falling from the Ferris wheel at the Illuminate Light and Sound Experience at the Christchurch Botanic Gardens.
“The notification was received this morning and a WorkSafe inspector will be doing an assessment in the next two days, before the show re-opens to the public on Thursday. This assessment will check compliance with the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015, and the Amusement Devices Regulations 1978.”
Christchurch City Council and Event Hire have both been approached for comment.
