Following the court hearing, a media conference was held where Hamilton City Council chief executive Richard Briggs and general manager community Lance Vervoort confirmed no one would lose their job over Sam's death. Hamilton News asked Hamilton City Council if the wording of the letter was appropriate given last week's guilty plea. Hamilton City Council said at the time the safety of the public was never compromised and pinned the blame on the keeper who left a gate open. The Hamilton City Council did not respond to questions about who the artist was, how much the statue would cost and when it was likely to be unveiled. We have made it very clear that council accepts responsibility for her death and our guilty plea demonstrates this.

Source: New Zealand Herald June 15, 2016 00:49 UTC