From the Archives: Inspector of Nuisances

In the 1860s the general sanitation of Wellington was a serious concern. Due to the lack of regulations and monitoring of the disposal of waste products, typhoid, dysentery and cholera were present in the city. The only inspections of the current situation were carried out by the Town Board Clerk, who had many other duties to perform. Cue the need for a new role – the Inspector of Nuisances.

It wasn’t until 1867 when the Wellington Town Board created this role, and the position was advertised as a salary of 50 pounds per annum. When the first Inspector of Nuisances was finally appointed, a higher salary of 150 pounds was agreed on by the Town Board, as the duties were acknowledged to be both unpleasant and time consuming!

The definition of nuisance likely came from the tort law of nuisances and referred to the private nuisance which was 'the use of property in such a way as to interfere wrongfully with our neighbour's enjoyment of his property.'

The Inspector of Nuisances was initially appointed by the Wellington Town Board and reported to it directly. Once Wellington became a Council the role was appointed by the Council. 

The main role was to provide reports to the Council about the state of the cleanliness of all the streets, private streets, public places, and drains, and any nuisances that took place. 
An example can be seen in this complaint where a neighbour was leaving their horse unattended in a public street while visiting houses of ill-fame (brothel).

They also provided inspections of businesses to ensure their sanitary practices, shown through this correspondence about the seizure of unwholesome “diseased” meat, which wasn’t seen fit as food!

On top of all that, the Inspector of Nuisances had to conduct backyard inspections, cesspools and other places with dirt of rubbish to make sure there was no threat to public health. 

Overtime, this role continued to grow when the Inspector of Nuisances became responsible for livestock in the city. Naturally after wearing many hats in the role, they then oversaw motor licensing and any traffic misdemeanours…

While the role had many different facets, qualifications did not seem to be mandatory and it was noted that most of the inspectors who had a role at the Council had a background in sanitation and plumbing. 

By 1938, this role became known as the Sanitary Inspector and split off into different functions, such as the health department and the building branch.

Now, we have many teams and roles to control the health and sanitation of the city alongside central government! After all this time, aspects of the original role come through such as removal of rubbish and recycling, which to this day are still monitored by the Wellington City Council.

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