Highway Housemovers owner Mick Daly (right) could face a bill of about $42,000. Photo / File
Highway Housemovers owner Mick Daly (right) could face a bill of about $42,000. Photo / File
Highway Housemovers owner Mick Daly could face a bill close to $42,000 if he is responsible for extensive damage to Whangārei infrastructure earlier this month.
Daly, who has not responded to several requests from the Northern Advocate for comment, is believed to be behind a trail of destruction while movinga house from Kamo to McLeod Bay.
On the night of December 2, Daly allegedly seriously damaged Whangārei's Te Matau ā Pohe bascule bridge, including four cameras, a totem pole pushed out of alignment and two barrier arms.
The damage caused to Whangārei's lift bridge was obvious. Photo / Michael Cunningham
He also admitted to cutting down several road signs along Whangārei Heads Rd before police stopped him the next morning in Parua Bay.
Daly resumed his journey the following night, allegedly bringing down powerlines, and cutting down and damaging McLeod Bay pōhutukawa trees as he delivered the house to its new address on Stuart Rd.
The Whangārei District Council, Northland Police and Waka Kotahi/New Zealand Transport Agency investigated.
Highway Housemovers owner Mick Daly (in truck) could not be contacted for comment. Photo / File
Daly has previously denied damaging the lift bridge, although conceded damage to the signs was linked to his house-moving operation.
Last week, Daly's permit to move houses was revoked by Waka Kotahi after council complained, using surveillance video from the lift bridge and reports made in the Northern Advocate as evidence.
Council chief executive Rob Forlong speculated Daly would have to pay for any damage he caused, assure council he would not cause such damage in the future, and possibly implement an audit or monitoring programme.
The council is also investigating whether the district plan or any bylaws had been breached, to see if they can prosecute. That decision would be made at the next full council meeting in February.
Whangārei District Council chief executive Rob Forlong. Photo / Michael Cunningham
Much of the repair cost came from damage to the lift bridge - about $32,500. This included $11,000 of repairs to the bridge superstructure and painting, $9000 for barrier arm repairs and CCTV equipment, and $5000 for repairs to totem poles and the public address system.
A further $9200 was required to repair damage to the roadside. Forlong said the total cost probably didn't include the cost of council workers or contractors cataloguing the damage.
"When you look at it broken down, it's not surprising but I didn't think it would be quite so much," Forlong said.
Signs along Whangārei Heads Rd were cut down. Photo / File
He said the repair cost might seem large but explained how roading assets in particular needed to be of a high quality given their frequent use.
"People often say to me, 'How can I get my driveway sealed for this much and it costs you that much', and the difference is that they've got three cars a day running up their driveway and we've got 400 heavy trucks or whatever it is."
Forlong said he was aware of recent conversations between council and Daly about council's expectation that the total cost of the damages were paid for.
