“He wasn’t leaning forward on the safety bar, so he had enough time to turn around and grab on. “He was just hanging off the seat – he was pretty traumatised.”A video has emerged showing the moments before two friends fell from a Ferris wheel at a Christchurch music festival. A person standing on the bar of the Ferris wheel. Photo / SuppliedEvent Hire said an independent health and safety adviser from Rolling Meadows conducted a site audit of the Ferris wheel about 11.30pm on New Year’s Eve. The adviser had provided a positive assessment of the event operations, staff competency, safety procedures and rider management at that time.

Source: New Zealand Herald January 07, 2026 05:31 UTC