Goose at centre of teens detective work

Reid Livingston holds a feather from the goose that flew into power lines causing a power outage Monday night. Behind him are friends Jesse Mildren, 13, and James Southern, 14

An errant goose is to blame for causing a power outage for about 800 Haumoana and Te Awanga residents.

The barbecued bird was discovered by three young boys just before 7pm Monday.
When the lights went out Reid Livingston, 13, Jesse Mildren, 13 and James Southern, 14, went to investigate a "firework explosion".

They came across the bird with burn marks on its body.

Reid said to his buddies, "Maybe it flew into the power box?"

After contacting Unison, Reid's suspicions were confirmed. "I was so happy that I figured it out," he said.

Although he felt bad for the goose he took solace in knowing that it "died instantly".

The Unison technician was impressed with Reid's detective work and the responsible decision to call the power company.

"He told us that we had done a very good job," Reid said.

Unison communications adviser, Naomi Fergusson said bird strikes are fairly common, but geese were not the usual culprits.

More than 400 customers had their power restored within an hour of the outage, with the final few restored just after 8pm.

Unison customer relations manager, Danny Gough said this was a fantastic example of knowing what to do if you see anything unusual relating to the electricity network.

"These boys knew to call Unison, and we're glad they did," Mr Gough said.

"We encourage customers to call us if they see any damage to electrical equipment such as power boxes, pole or wires, so that we can respond quickly and ensure the safety of customers, and restore power quickly."

Te Awanga resident Jess McCabe commended Unison for its efficiency.

"I was so impressed. What a lovely story of community sprit meets professional service technician. Thanks for being awesome Unison, a lovely happy ending ... except for the goose.