Rough sleeper sleeps rougher: Mystery over metal divider on Napier park bench

A bench on Hardinge Rd, Ahuriri, Napier after a metal bar was removed and (inset) with the metal bar in its place. Photos / Supplied, Warren Buckland

A metal divider that appeared on a bench seat in Ahuriri has presented more questions than answers, with its swift installation and removal leaving the coastal community guessing.

Images posted to social media on Saturday show the bench - which sits off Napier’s Hardinge Rd - with an upside-down L-shaped metal bar through the middle.

Photos posted earlier than Saturday portray it covered in blankets and other possessions meaning it was likely occupied by someone sleeping rough before the bar was installed.

A member of the public, who Hawke’s Bay Today has agreed not to name, said they saw two men in their 70s install the bar who also confirmed its purpose.

“They told me it was installed to stop the homeless man from sleeping on the park bench. They drove off in a white Tesla.”

By Monday morning, the bar had been removed.

While Hawke’s Bay Today could not confirm who donated the bench, social media comments revealed many opposing thoughts and speculations within the community.

Napier City Council maintains the bench and confirmed it was donated by a member of the public. Once donated, the bench had become an NCC asset.

“This [metal bar] was not an NCC installation, nor was it removed by us. We’re unsure who was responsible,” a council spokesperson said.