Northern Advocate
  • Northern Advocate home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Sport
  • Property
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings

Locations

  • Far North
  • Kaitaia
  • Kaikohe
  • Bay of Islands
  • Whangārei
  • Kaipara
  • Mangawhai
  • Dargaville

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Kaitaia
  • Whangārei
  • Dargaville

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Northern Advocate

Cows electrocuted by falling power lines on Northland farm

By Kristin Edge
Reporter·Northern Advocate·
13 Sep, 2018 06:00 AM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

In March this year Northpower disconnected a service line to an old cowshed at a Dargaville property due to safety concerns. Photo/ Supplied

In March this year Northpower disconnected a service line to an old cowshed at a Dargaville property due to safety concerns. Photo/ Supplied

Eleven dairy cows were electrocuted when lines on an ageing power pole broke and fell on to live 400 volt lines sparking concerns unmaintained lines across Northland could kill again.

The cows were grazing on a Dargaville property when the line fell and they were killed about 8pm on Wednesday.

A representative for electricity distributors has warned ageing, rotting and rusting power poles on private urban and rural properties were dangerous and the risk of people being electrocuted or hit by falling poles was growing every year.

Northpower line mechanics were dispatched to the Dargaville farm after the farmer contacted the power supplier and they were back at the property today.Northpower spokesman Steve Macmillan said it was not clear how the stock were electrocuted as Northpower was not on site at the time but clearly they had come into contact with the downed private service line.

Macmillan said in March this year Northpower disconnected a service line to an old cowshed at the property due to safety concerns.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Early indications are that the line that came down was one of the disconnected service lines as a result of an insulator breaking off a cross-arm on a power pole on the line.

He said that line then sagged on to a nearby live 400 volt line, another service line on the property, which livened the previously disconnected service line.

"The service line was left in place after disconnection because the service line is the asset of the farmer. It is the land owner's decision to remove or upgrade their own lines and poles."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Mcmillan said compensation from Northpower would not be an option for the farmer as it was a private service line which was not part of Northpower's electricity network.

"Private service lines are the land owner's responsibility to maintain. It is really important that people maintain the safety of their service lines which is generally the power line that runs from the roadside of the property to the dwellings or sheds."

The call for landowners to maintain poles and lines was echoed by a spokesman from a group representing 27 New Zealand electricity distributors.

"Someone is going to be electrocuted, someone is going to get killed," Electricity Networks Association chief executive Graeme Peters said.

Discover more

New Zealand

Northland's Mycoplasma bovis-infected farm confirmed as east of Dargaville

06 Sep 01:07 AM
Agribusiness

Don't buy friesian bulls from other regions, vet warns

06 Sep 06:00 PM

Do or die for Taniwha against Turbos tonight

13 Sep 06:30 PM

News briefs: Robber still on run

13 Sep 07:30 PM

"We're particularly concerned about children."

The Electricity Networks Association (ENA), the voice of 27 New Zealand electricity distributors such as Northland's Northpower and Top Energy, said that in cities and on farms much of the infrastructure carrying electricity from the road power connection to houses, buildings and dairy sheds was getting old and in "a bad state".

The infrastructure causing alarm included aged power poles, crossbars, insulators and rusting metal fittings, which was highlighted in the latest Northland incident.

"These assets are dangerous," said Peters.

Peters was not surprised by the incident in Dargaville and said over the coming years as lines and poles continued to deteriorate it was likely more animals or people would be injured or killed.

"We're going to see a lot more line failings and that raises the risk of people getting hurt, by being electrocuted or by poles falling on them."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The problem has become acute because of lack of maintenance and repair by property owners who don't realise that by law, and as interpreted by the Commerce Commission, it's their responsibility to maintain, repair and keep trees away from poles and lines on their land, he said.

John Blackwell, Northland Federated Farmers President, said there was a lack of understanding about who owned lines and poles but that wasn't limited to the rural community but also those living in the heart of Auckland.

"A lot of people don't understand where their responsibility for maintenance starts and ends."

He urged farmers to check poles and lines on their property regularly.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Northern Advocate

live
Northern Advocate

Stay inside: Nelson residents face new threat tonight

11 Jul 08:18 AM
Northern Advocate

Slip closes Mangamuka Gorge as severe weather lashes Northland

11 Jul 05:46 AM
Northern Advocate

Bay of Islands Vintage Railway earns top tourism award

11 Jul 04:00 AM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Northern Advocate

Stay inside: Nelson residents face new threat tonight
live

Stay inside: Nelson residents face new threat tonight

11 Jul 08:18 AM

High winds are ramping up.

Slip closes Mangamuka Gorge as severe weather lashes Northland

Slip closes Mangamuka Gorge as severe weather lashes Northland

11 Jul 05:46 AM
Bay of Islands Vintage Railway earns top tourism award

Bay of Islands Vintage Railway earns top tourism award

11 Jul 04:00 AM
'Still loving it': Libraries manager reflects on retirement decision

'Still loving it': Libraries manager reflects on retirement decision

11 Jul 12:00 AM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • The Northern Advocate e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Northern Advocate
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The Northern Advocate
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP