CCTV shown at inquest into death of man who fell in Wellington Harbour

A Wellington court has been shown CCTV footage leading up to the moment Christchurch teacher Isaac Levings fell into Wellington Harbour and drowned in 2023.

By Bill Hickman of RNZ

Levings disappeared from Queens Wharf after attending a concert by pop rock band, The 1975 at TSB Arena in April 2023.

His body was found in the water near Te Papa two days later.

Presiding over the inquest into Levings' death on Monday, coroner Katharine Greig said there had been more than half a dozen deaths involving people falling into the harbour since 2015 – including that of Wellington man Sandy Calkin.

Calkin's death – which was the subject of a previous inquest in 2024 – resulted in six recommendations to the council to improve safety along the waterfront.

Counsel for the coroner, Josh Shaw told the court the inquest into Levings' death was an opportunity to examine council progress on improving safety on the Wellington waterfront.

Shaw told the court the work to improve lighting along the promenade had been well advanced and proposals to improve edge protection had progressed towards public consultation.

"There was a will to continue this... and make sure that all that could be done was done to enhance safety at the waterfront," Shaw said.

But he said a council proposal to proceed with edge protection measures near where Calkin had died and on the wider waterfront was voted down by council in August 2025.

"And so we are left, currently at least, with a waterfront with much better lighting – including at the Te Papa promenade where the lighting was not good at the time of Isaac's death – but has since been significantly upgraded.

"But a waterfront that has virtually no edge protection – at least across the majority of it. Including – because a couple of months after that August decision - there was also a decision to remove temporary fencing that had been installed pending a more long term solution," Shaw said.

Shaw said the inquest would examine the circumstances of Levings' death and also the processes by which the previous recommendations had "landed where they have".

Today's inquest was attended by Isaac Levings' parents, Charles and Margaret Levings and his older brother James Levings.

Charles Levings described his son as a clever, quick witted and intelligent young man who was "adored" by his young students.

"At morning tea time, he was out on the field playing with the children – very rarely went into the staff room for morning tea – he would be out there on the fields. He understood children so much," Charles Levings said.

Charles Levings went to pains to express to the court that the level of intoxication illustrated by CCTV footage of the night of Levings death was out of character.

"For him to be intoxicated, as he was, was a surprise to me personally as his dad. I'd never seen him drink to that kind of level."

The Court was shown CCTV footage of Levings as he made his way south along the waterfront promenade after leaving the TSB Arena.

Levings could be seen in a stained grey T-shirt and shorts following a meandering path along the waterfront.

He posture was loose and he occasionally steadied himself against the wall and construction barriers along the waterfront edge of Frank Kitts Park.

Footage showed Levings crossing the bridge near the Taranaki St diving platform as he walked along the Ara Moana walkway opposite Te Papa.

Soon after a splash and eddies could be seen on the calm surface of the harbour – emanating outwards from the wharf's edge at around 10.46pm.

Daniel Bayliss went to the concert with Levings and some other friends that night.

He told the court the group had each bought ten packs of RTDs – consuming them before they arrived at the venue – and Levings purchased several more red wines as the concert progressed.

He said the last he saw of Levings was when he popped briefly into the toilets as Bayliss was using them.

Bayliss said repeated messages and calls to Levings phone following that point went unanswered and unread.

Louise Torres was working with the Red Badge security team at the venue that night.

She outlined the responsibilities and powers of the security teams stationed at the venue including being on the lookout for intoxicated concertgoers and potentially evicting them from the venue as well as arranging transport or assistance for people deemed "at risk".

She said some time after 8.30pm she was alerted to a concertgoer with vomit on his shirt who turned out to be Levings.

"He had slurred speech, was unable to stand up straight and had bloodshot eyes," Torres said.

She said security staff supervised a chill out room where people might be taken, or go voluntarily, if they needed to sober up or "if they are feeling overwhelmed, too drunk or need to take a break".

Torres said she understood Levings' degree of intoxication would be assessed by paramedics or security staff in the chill out area.

Torres would later see Levings holding himself up on a pillar outside the venue but he "waived off" her attempt to speak with him.

"I remember thinking that Isaac still seemed drunk and having a gut feeling about him."

Torres told the court she later contacted police when she realised the same man she had interactions with was missing and told them she was concerned he had fallen in the water.

Wellington Free Ambulance head of event medical services and paramedic, Daniel Ashcroft told the court he was among six ambulance staff working at the concert.

Ashcroft said it had taken a wheelchair to assist Levings from the crowd but – in a better ventilated assessment room – he was able to walk, talk and hold a conversation.

He said Levings had declined a more thorough assessment, saying he had "only been drinking".

Ashcroft said he was called away to assist other patrons and on his return he was told Levings had been escorted out of the building by security staff.

"The reasons for his removal by security are unknown to me," Ashcroft said.

The inquest is expected to run over an initial three days and is scheduled to resume at the end of the month.