KEY POINTS:
Neighbours of the couple whose grandchild was electrocuted in Napier say they are "great grandparents" and not to blame.
The 7-year-old died on Friday after touching one of about six metal stakes protecting grass over newly laid power cables. His grandfather, Ken Burns, is understood to have pushed
the three-sided metal stakes into the ground to fence off the grass.
Police have yet to release the dead boy's name, but a neighbour who tried to save his life said it was Noah.
The woman, who wanted to be known only as Anne, said she was driving home about 2pm when she saw Burns with a look of despair on his face. He was holding Noah, whose body was limp and who was frothing at the mouth.
She asked what had happened and Burns told her Noah may have choked on something. Anne applied the Heimlich manoeuvre while Burns ran inside to phone emergency services, and Noah's older brother looked on.
Anne started applying CPR before flagging down a truck with two men, who then took over. When St John ambulance staff arrived, the grandfather put his hand on one of the stakes and realised it was live.
Two ambulance crews worked for nearly half an hour to resuscitate the boy, but he died at the scene.
"I feel for the grandfather," said Anne. "He would feel responsible because his grandson was in his care, but it wasn't his fault."
Another neighbour, who wanted to remain anonymous, described Burns and his wife Robyn as "great grandparents".
The couple were too distraught to speak to the Herald on Sunday.
Residents said Unison Networks had been laying cables in the street, Westminster Ave, in the Tamatea area, since January.
Senior Sergeant Tony Dewhirst said early indications were that the boy was swinging on the stake and it had touched a power cable.
Police were interviewing neighbours, and it was too soon to say if anyone was at fault.
Union Networks spokeswoman Joan Spiller said Burns told her several people had touched or leaned on the stakes without incident.
She said the Government's Electrical Safety Service had started an inquiry with the police and Unison but expected the outcome to exonerate her company.
"We have very stringent guidelines for the depth of cabling and things like that."
The cables connected the Burns' home to the main supply and carried about 230 volts. Spiller said they had to be buried at least 60cm deep and were wrapped in a protective product. She would not say if the coating had been damaged.
The Ministry of Economic Development's energy safety website gives advice on how to deal with underground cables. It advises people to locate them before digging and check with their power company if unsure.
"When digging post holes, or driving stakes or standards, be careful: cables are not necessarily laid in a straight line and depths can vary in different situations," the website says. "They are not designed to withstand a blow from a tool, or any other object."
Unison's website carries similar advice. The Department of Labour says cables are normally laid in trenches between 30cm and 1m deep.
- Additional reporting NZPA.
