Open letter to Hamilton City Council chief executive officer Richard Briggs

Richard Briggs

Last Wednesday, I phoned you to discuss the information I was seeking in relation to the 2013 near-miss incident at Hamilton Zoo.

Following that discussion you told me that an interview with Lance Vervoort, council's general manager community, would be arranged for this Wednesday morning at 8am, with communications advisor Jeff Neems and Helen Paki, business manager community, present as well.

You told me: "Lance can give you all the information you're after."

However, contrary to this assurance, Jeff Neems phoned me on Tuesday evening to say that the interview had been cancelled.

He said: "Council has taken some legal advice from the city solicitors and we have been advised not to discuss the 2013 incident with you any further."

I then put several questions to Lance and Richard, via Jeff, on Tuesday night and I remain ready and willing to meet with any of you at any time.

As you know, I believe that mistakes that were made in 2013 have not been learned from and more stringent safety measures that were to have been put in place following that incident should have reduced the chance of something like this ever happening again. Instead, Samantha Kudeweh's death is now being investigated.

In light of this Hamilton News investigation, I ask you: does the potential risk posed to the public's safety at Hamilton Zoo - and to nearby residents - need to be further scrutinised by an external body?

Will you give us an assurance that the report into this latest tragic incident will be made public?

Lance Vervoort has also been quoted as saying "there are some circumstances around Samantha's death which may never be known".

That may be so, but the public is entitled to know how the incident happened. In light of the previous incident (where the report was kept secret), will we be told what circumstances are known?

Someone found Samantha. Someone had to contain Oz. And someone would have had to shut the gate - or gates, plural - that were presumably open or inadequately secured enabling Samantha and Oz to both end up in the display enclosure together.

Questions that need answers:

1. Does the potential risk posed to the public's safety at Hamilton Zoo - and to nearby residents - need to be scrutinised by an external body?

2. Will you give us an assurance that the report into this latest tragic incident will be made public?

3. In light of the previous incident (where the report was kept secret), will we be told what circumstances are known?

Danielle Nicholson
Hamilton News editor