The British High Commissioner to NZ stayed away from her husband’s comments.
The husband of a British envoy to New Zealand recently mocked the country’s beloved Wellignton bucket fountain, a famous and water-polarizing feature that beautifies the heart of the nation’s capital.
Taking to Twitter, Toby Fisher, husband of British High Commissioner to New Zealand Laura Clarke, called the structure “the craziest fountain ever”.
After 4 years in Wellington, it’s time to be frank with you all: this is the craziest fountain ever. Don’t @ me. pic.twitter.com/MLsXofgm5J
– Toby Fisher (@tobyfisherlaw) May 28, 2022
Following his social media post, his wife, Clarke, distanced herself from his comments. She quickly stepped in to say that her husband’s comments did not represent hers or the views of the British government. “The bucket fountain is a beloved part of Wellington’s heritage,” she added.
As the British High Commissioner to NZ, I want to make it clear that my husband’s opinion @tobyfisherlaw do not represent my views or those of the UK Government.
(… Check notes…)
The bucket fountain is a beloved part of Wellington’s heritage. https://t.co/pXL96CX7UV
– Laura Clarke (@LauraClarkeUK) May 28, 2022
The fountain was installed in October 1969 and was originally called “underwater portable”. It pours an erratic stream of water through its buckets, spilling and splashing a large portion of the water outside the fountain and onto pedestrians and onlookers on windy days.
Mr. Fisher’s comments were met with mostly goodwill opposition, including from some members of Congress. “You’re brave now Toby!” commented National MP and former opposition leader Judith Collins. “Fight me,” answered Climate Change Secretary James Shaw.
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The fountain also has its loyal guardians. “Visited on Tuesday. Grown up playing around that fountain. You don’t have the inner kid’s desire for a simpler time,” speak a Twitter user.
Another person, on the other hand, agrees with Mr. Fisher and speak“I don’t even know why that strange thing is mentioned in the guidebook. I was extremely disappointed when I first saw it. It is simply ugly and when you pass by it, you usually get a little wet trying to stay away from other people on Cuban street.”
After his tweet sparked a stir among locals, Mr Fisher also apologized for calling the fountain “the craziest ever”. In the following tweet, he Written“I know this tweet has caused considerable outrage in the Wellington community. I’m sorry. I was mistaken. This was an autocorrect. I mean ‘classic’,”
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Meanwhile, Mr. Fisher’s statement is only the most recent in the long history of controversy surrounding the fountain. Follow Independence, actor Elijah Wood famously urinated in a fountain while in New Zealand filming ‘Lord of the Rings’. Some have also spoken of its “absolute ugliness” and complained about its disappointing engineering.
