KEY POINTS:
A veteran of more than 5000 power disconnections has admitted he would have been curious why Folole Muliaga was wearing tubes in her nose the day power was cut to her home.
But the man - who was the supervisor of the Vircom employee who disconnected the Muliagas'
electricity - said he would not necessarily have found it appropriate to ask about the tubes.
"We live in a multi-cultural society ... It's culturally insensitive to ask people why they have things hanging out of their noses and ears."
The man was giving evidence at an Auckland coroner's inquest into the death of Folole Muliaga on May 29 last year.
Mrs Muliaga died at her Mangere Bridge, Manukau City, home three hours after a Vircom employee - who, by court order, can be referred to only as Mr A - cut the power.
The disconnection disabled an oxygen machine Mrs Muliaga - who was morbidly obese - relied on up to 16 hours a day.
The family owed $168.40 on the power bill at the time.
The supervisor - who also has name suppression - told the court that in more than 20 years and 5000 disconnections he had never seen an oxygen machine in a private home, or seen a customer wearing nose tubes.
He described Mr A as a "popular, friendly, obliging and hard-working" employee.
Earlier, in a morning of convoluted cross-examination punctuated by regular objections and a rebuke from coroner Gordon Matenga, Muliaga family lawyers Olinda Woodroffe and Moira McNab accused Mr A of deliberately lying.
They said he had not been truthful when he said he had not seen oxygen tubes running through the Muliaga house, or heard an alarm - from Mrs Muliaga's oxygen machine - after the electricity was cut.
Mr A said he was sorry that Mrs Muliaga had died, but insisted he followed the correct procedure when carrying out the disconnection.
He had neither seen nor been told anything to suggest she was unwell, the court heard.
Mr Matenga at one point reprimanded Ms Woodroffe after she appeared to mimic Mr A's answers.
He delivered another scolding after she asked questions he considered to be "blatantly unfair".
Mr A told Vircom lawyer Garth Galloway that if he had known about the oxygen machine he would have contacted Mercury and made arrangements to have the power remain on.
He told the court Mrs Muliaga did not appear sick, despite wearing tubes in her nose, and no one who was present at the home told him she was unwell.
The hearing continues on Monday.
