Maui gas leak - who's affected, who's to blame?

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Wed, 26 Oct 2011 7:00p.m.

Thousands of businesses are either without gas, or running on low gas, following a rupture in the Maui pipeline.

Mihingarangi Forbes is where the pipeline has cracked and talks to a farmer who lives near the pipe. He says it was an accident waiting to happen.

Helen Vaughan has spent the day with the New Market businesses, coping without gas.

Natasha Utting has been in South Auckland, where Nova Energy has switched off gas to the entire Botany town centre.

And lastly, we'll hear from Vector CEO, Simon McKenzie, about how the rupture happened and where the buck stops.

Watch the full video.

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Comments

28 Oct 2011 07:28p.m.

David wrote:

I do not want to pick on one or two industries when they may only be an example. But Sanitarium’s spokesperson has made me particularly angry with his statements over the last few days. I heard him on the radio saying he was “amazed” that there was only one major gas line. I am amazed he did not know this if gas is such a critical part of their production. His self interested special pleading that they are a vital industry and will run out of Weet-bix supply’s in a few days is disappointing. I have considerably more than a week’s supply of Weet-bix at home and I can if needed replace it with another breakfasts. Perhaps you can ask around your office if other people have a week’s supply of Weet-bix. These are not perishable products and it is purely a business profit matter for Sanitarium. “Just too late” stock control is their decision and their problem. When Sanitarium centralised production a few years ago and closed plants around the country did they not take steps to mitigate the additional threat to security of supply.
The brewery and Chelsea sugar seem to also be affected by insufficient stocks for more than a few days. Not my or the gas companies problem. Their own calculated risk.
Can someone check if Fonterra did in the past maintain alternative coal or oil fired plants for these eventualities? If so why did they stop this practice? I think that Fonterra’s business decision to not have a backup supply of energy is theirs to make but they and their shareholder farmers should be required to safely dispose of any milk that consequently has to be dumped. I am sure most farmers are doing this.

27 Oct 2011 07:48p.m.

lila wrote:

question: is there any connection with this latest disaster and the practice of fracking in Taranaki?

27 Oct 2011 07:23p.m.

Robyn wrote:

Did the Taranaki suppliers not learn anything from Christchurch ! - don't rely so much on energy sources, and "be prepared"

If they only have 6 days worth of stock for suppliers - that is their own fault not the gas suppliers - again "be prepared"

Why did the plant designers, project managers etc not allow for emergencies, when they designed these enormous businesses.

Why are these companies always prepared to blame someone else for a precious source that everyone is just so reliant on, when they should
be looking at the "what if's" when it all runs out ?

27 Oct 2011 07:09p.m.

Bernie wrote:

who owns the sugar company? who owns lion nathan? who owns Vector? and most important who owns the pipeline and why has it not been maintained? are your reporters slack?

27 Oct 2011 03:08p.m.

Andy wrote:

This gas leak is a worrying issue, but equally concerning is the prospect of other similar issues occurring. The most concerning that I can think of is the potential for problems with the fuel pipelines from Marsden Point to Wiri that carries Auckland's supply of petrol and avgas. If this was severed somehow, we would be in deep trouble, as there is no longer a possibility of shipping this product into Auckland other than by road tanker.....