Darryn Fisher: NorthChamber Chief Executive says several Northland businesses unsure if they're insured for recent power outage

Northland businesses are unsure whether they'll be insured for last week's power outage.

A pylon tipped over on Thursday after too many nuts were removed from the legs, letting it tip.

Transpower says it is an inconceivable and unprecedented situation, and consumers can apply for compensation.

But NorthChamber Chief Executive, Darryn Fisher says they're still in the dark about what's next.

"I don't know if you can insure for negligence in this respect, so as far as businesses here are concerned - I'm not sure whether they're covered or not."

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Either do forel Transpower has admitted that the crew working
on the piland were the ones to blame. Yep, they
didn't remove nuts on two legs, they removed nuts on
three legs. Here's the chief executive Alis and Andrew. Yeah,
now you can't hear anything, don't worry about it anyway.
She just explains the situation for Transpower. Right, it's the Transpower,
it's the contractor who did it, Omic Soom and the Minister,
Simme and Brown.

Speaker 2 (00:20):
None of them want to talk about it.

Speaker 1 (00:21):
Darren Fishers, the Chief Executive North Chamber, Northland's Business Chamber,
it is with us now.

Speaker 3 (00:25):
Hey, Darren, good evening. How are you very well?

Speaker 2 (00:29):
Thank you?

Speaker 1 (00:29):
Does knowing that it was just something stupid make it
better for you guys or worse?

Speaker 3 (00:37):
I think it raises the level of anxiety, to be honest.
I mean I don't know if you can be ensured
for negligence in this respect. So as far as our
businesses here have concerned, I'm not sure whether they're covered
or not. I mean, because the Transpower are certainly not
fronting up to any form of compensation themselves, just breaking

(00:57):
the Consumer Guarantees Act. So I mean yeah, I think
this has to the problem.

Speaker 2 (01:02):
Well, okay, hold on.

Speaker 1 (01:03):
So I looked at that because Alison Andrew had seen
people can make a claim through the consumer guarantees that
go through their electricity provider. I just assumed that it
was her admitting that they are liable for compo.

Speaker 3 (01:12):
You seeing it differently, certainly seeing it differently. I think
consumer Guarantees act relates to you and I at home
as an average retailer. It doesn't relate to business. From
a business perspective. We're encouraged to make claims through our
own insurers, which would then obviously come at at a
premium cost to ourselves and then no doubt having an

(01:34):
effect on our ongoing premiums. And I mean those as
everyone in business in New Zealand. Those premiums for insurances
already out of control, So making a claim for negligence
on someone else's won't be helpful.

Speaker 2 (01:46):
Darren, Have you taken legal advice.

Speaker 3 (01:49):
Just in the process of that, now, if I've had
some just initial feedback through our legal partners, but I'm
waiting to hear some specific feedback from some of our
members insurance.

Speaker 2 (02:00):
What are your lawyers telling you just initially, Oh, there's.

Speaker 3 (02:06):
That we're not sure whether it covered or not. Really,
I mean that's the unknown is still unknown.

Speaker 2 (02:12):
Have you tried to talk to transpar about whether they
are liable here?

Speaker 3 (02:17):
Yes, So we had Transpower address ourselves and a number
of members of the business community North in this morning
at ten o'clock and you know, they already signaled to
us that they're going to be making announcement at one o'clock,
but disappointingly they wouldn't share any further information at that
time and the advice they gave us in was in

(02:38):
line with what they gave us again at one o'clock,
so not terribly helpful to them.

Speaker 2 (02:42):
So they didn't say anything about whether they would pay compo.

Speaker 3 (02:45):
No, definitely not.

Speaker 1 (02:46):
Well, Darren, I really hope for your sake that actually
your lawyers tell you that you can go hell for
leather with these guys.

Speaker 2 (02:51):
Thank you so much for your time. That's Darren Fisher,
the CEO of North Chamber. For more from Hither Duplessy
Allen Drive, listen live to news

Speaker 3 (02:58):
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