Darryn Fisher: North Chamber CEO says Transpower needs to front up and explain why they can't compensate Northland businesses for the power cut

Northland businesses say Transpower needs to take responsibility for a fallen pylon and show face in Northland. 

Transpower's found contractor Omexom's team leader was distracted sandblasting, as unsupervised inexperienced workers removed the bolts from three legs at once.  

It says residents can contact their retailer for compensation, but they can't do anything for businesses.  

North Chamber Chief Executive Darryn Fisher told Ryan Bridge Transpower needs to stop avoiding this conversation. 

He's calling for them to put their big pants on, get up to Northland and explain why their negligence is putting their livelihoods at risk. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Almost two months on from the major power outage in Northland,
Transpower say compensation is off the table for those impacted.
The tower was being cleaned when a worker removed too
many nuts, causing it to collapse while the team leader
was busy sand blasting the North Chamber Chief Executive Darren Fisher, Darren,
good morning.

Speaker 2 (00:17):
Good morning Ryan.

Speaker 1 (00:18):
So we know what happened now there was a problem,
too many nuts taken out, not enough attention being paid,
but no compensation, although I do note that the Transpower
says they might look at a donation of sorts to
the community. What do you reckon? Yeah?

Speaker 2 (00:36):
He cringe worthy yesterday, wasn't it, Ryan. I mean it's
almost like watching the spin doctors at work. But I'm
talking about giving an MP one hundred thousand dollars to
hand out ice creams at the local amp show. It
is very different to compensation to a business. Trying to
maintain the employment of six hundred people in a small

(00:56):
regional town is a huge difference. I mean, an average
household in New Zealand earns one hundred and twenty five
thousand dollars a year. In Northold, that's one hundred thousand
dollars a year, typically made up of one bread winner
and one secondary Incomuna. Now in a place like Kaitaia,
where six hundred people are reliant on one big business

(01:18):
staying alive, the direct result of what has happened here
with Transpler puts those things in Jepardy And I'm calling
for that board and that management to have put their
big boy pants on, get on an aeroplane, get up
here and front up to these local communities and explain
why their negligence is putting their livelihoods at risk.

Speaker 1 (01:37):
Was it a serious suggestion to give the MP ice screams.

Speaker 2 (01:42):
It's a serious suggestion that the MP has been down
in Wellington saying you need to make a good will
donation to the people of Norfold and do something community
wide and be good Samaricans here. But that's a very
different conversation to keeping people in serious employment. Transpower have
got values on their website talking about how they are

(02:03):
good social citizens and how they're good community people. Well,
what they're about to do through their negligence and avoiding
all of this conversation is absolutely crush a workforce in
small community towns like Katia.

Speaker 1 (02:19):
Darren Fisher is with North Chamber and he's the chief
executive there. He wants the Board of Transpower up North
asap to answer some questions. Please and no, we don't
want ice creams at the amp. For more from News
Talks B listen live on air or online, and keep
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(02:39):
on IR Radio.