The union for workers at a Dunedin council-owned lines company says the replacement of rotten power poles needs to be sped up.
Thousands of rotting power poles are due for replacement in Otago. Photo: RNZ / Ian Telfer
Three investigations have been launched after a Delta manager, Richard Healey, went public with allegations Delta and Aurora are breaching safety standards and failing to clear a backlog of about 3000 failing poles.
Joe Gallagher, a senior official at the E Tū union, said he hoped the investigations found Aurora's replacement programme needed accelerating - and a lot more money.
"It needs to be for the safety of those people who work on the network, and it needs to be for the safety of the general public who are under and around them on a daily basis. And it's not acceptable to say 'she'll be right, mate'."
He said he doubted Aurora was the only lines company with a major backlog of risky poles.
Aurora, which operates alongside Delta, has confirmed it has more than 2900 failing power poles needing replacement. It said yesterday it was reviewing its maintenance programmes.