Supporting a secure power supply
Whangarei Leader, Whangarei
I was attending a meeting in Auckland recently unaware of the chaos taking place north of the Auckland Harbour Bridge as a result of an errant forklift driver. Firstly, we need to accept that accidents will happen and we can expect power cuts to occur from time to time at a local level.
However, when these outages occur at a regional level this is less expected and even less acceptable.
The power outage highlights the vulnerable position Northland occupies and the need for a separate and secure supply route to service the region.
An outage like this is more than a mere inconvenience - it results in real and tangible losses.
The cost to the region was severe. Daily bbusiness turnover was down with many businesses not able to accept electronic payments. In some cases staff had to leave work to care for children as schools closed. Cafes and hospitality businesses were particularly hard hit.
Northland is a growing region, if we do not pro-actively manage issues associated with transmission and power geneartion, we will always be constrained.
These constraints will limit our ability to market the region as a viable and credible place to do business.
Neither the impact of an outage nor the possibility of one occurring was unforeseen.
Northpower, Northland Regional Council and the region’s district councils have been advocating for a separate power supply for Northland.
The Chamber of Commerce has supported their endeavours and is appreciative of what they have achieved to date.
Media Contact
For more information please contact:
Vanessa Wilson
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Phone: 09 430 1810
Mobile: 027 430 1807
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