Guns seized from farmer at centre of power outage - Audio

Assuming Meier been informed about Transpower's legally bound right to access his land in order to service the pylons, he should be held accountable for this fiasco, as it was he who was effectively holding the thousands of households to ransom. The guy's a deluded fruitcake.

What did transpower think was going to happen when the built there power lines over private fram land?

WHO lit the fire ? These corporates suck.Like Telecom.Yeh crazy farmer dude, got some rights still, aye.Big Bro sucked for a while.

Couldn't agree more Kev - and I don't know who is the bigger prat in this debacle, the farmer or John Banks. Why 11 guns - what agenda is Steve Meier harbouring. John Banks is simply electioneering I suspect.

The man's a complete idiot who just wants his face on the box. Why else would he have an arrangement with Transpower to trim his trees and then invite TV3 along to film it? He was obviously going to cause a scene way back then and so, anything that has happened since is entirely his fault. The lines were there long before him. He didn't have to buy the property.

What a joke the loss of rights has become. The "power" companies get their easement for free and the farmer has to maintain it for them. Property Rights HAHA Its is a disgrace but now I know why we call ourselves a "free" country.

thats it, make it seem as if the farmer is the gun crazy nut, discredit him so you can continue to stomp on his rights!!

@robbie. All properties have easements through them for the powerlines if they have powerlines running through them. Transpower has a right to gain access to maintain its assets. If you dont want them accessing your land dont buy property with powerlines running through it.

robbie, farmers are paid. I've lived on a farm where we had power lines going above trees and it was OUR JOB to maintain those tree's not the power company.

i think that transpower should be paying those farmers for access and inconvenience to them..they make that much money its only the right thing to do..if i were that farmer i would be annoyed to. What a joke this country is..