Contractor "not told" of condition

The letter written by Mercury Energy to the State Owned Enterprises Minister following the death of a South Auckland woman has been released by the government.

Folole Muliaga, 44, died within hours of her power being disconnected on Tuesday for failing to pay her power bill.

In the letter, Mercury Energy says the contractor who turned the power off was not told of her medical condition but before leaving the property her son asked the contractor to speak to Mrs Muliaga.

She asked him how long it would take to reconnect and was told that would happen when payment had been arranged.

The contractor did notice a medical tube in her nose but says it was not connected to anything.

Meanwhile, police say they have been continuing their enquiries into the death of Muliaga to determine the facts surrounding the case.

Police say they have received full co-operation from all those involved including the power company, their contractor and the Muliaga family, and enquiries will be ongoing until police establish a clear picture of the events in question.

They say they are also investigating Muliaga's pre-existing health conditions and have been in discussion with both the coroner's office and pathology staff.

Police say they acknowledge the tragedy that has occurred and the public interest in the case but the disclosure of any police enquiries will not be possible until a decision can be made about what took place.

System not up to scratch

An infrastructure and energy specialist says the death of the South Auckland woman after her power was cut off is proof New Zealand's electricity market is not up to scratch.

Deloitte consultant Paul Callow says the family would not have been affected if there was a "supply of last resort regime".

He says many other countries use the scheme which includes installing pre-paid meters so if people don't pay for their electricity they cut themselves off.

Callow says after a warning is sent, the power isn't cut off, and the electricity commissioner or ombudsman would appoint the supplier of last resort who would have rights to install a prepaid meter. He says it means families can pay for their electricity as they use it, with the meters.

Callow says the government's job is to make sure essential services are available to everyone.