Utility firm denies it was warned power cut would cause death

A New Zealand utility company that cut off power to the home of a woman connected to an electric oxygen pump, leading to her death, insisted today it was not aware she was dependent on the machine.

The family of Folole Muliaga accused the company of calling them liars over Tuesday’s incident, in which the 44-year-old mother of four died two hours after a contractor working for the utility, state-owned Mercury Energy, cut power to the house over an unpaid bill worth NZ$168.40 (€91.85).

Muliaga’s family claim that she and her son told the technician she needed the oxygen machine to stay alive and invited him into the house to see it.

But Mercury Energy insisted today they were never told that Muliaga depended on the electricity supply for her oxygen machine.

Mighty River’s chief executive Doug Heffernan said the utility did “not put a foot wrong” when it cut the power shortly before the sick woman died. He said there were different versions of the event but that did not mean they were backing their own contractor.