Sam Welch, pictured at a shearing competition in 2007, damaged his hand on his farm and was unable to contact emergency services for help. Photo / File
Sam Welch, pictured at a shearing competition in 2007, damaged his hand on his farm and was unable to contact emergency services for help. Photo / File
About 40 households in a remote area of Waikato have been without access to a reliable phone line for weeks.
The problem meant a local farmer couldn't get through to an ambulance after slicing through two tendons in his hand.
The Waikaretu Valley community, between Port Waikato and Raglan, 50kmnorth-west of Hamilton, is without access to emergency services.
Waikato Mayor Allan Sanson said while people in major centres enjoy their smart phones - this community is stuck in the dark ages, without basic necessities.
He said the sparsely populated area's residents deserve some certainty around the quality of service they receive.
"It would make the call through and then drop me off ... make another call through, and it'd cut out on me," he told TVNZ.
There was also no cellphone coverage so he used a satellite email service to send a message to his in-laws who lived nearby.
"I've cut hand, so need doctor, I'm ok but phone is crap," the message said.
Welch added: "I was thinking, I'm going to end up on the floor and my wife and kids are going to come home and here I am passed out and bled on the floor."
He eventually managed to get one bar of cellphone reception to call a friend who lived nearby, who came to help.
