KEY POINTS:
Members of the south Auckland community have paid their respects to Folole Muliaga by keeping a minute's silence at the Otara street markets.
A book of condolences was also made available for people to sign at the markets.
Mrs Muliaga, 44, died on Tuesday just hours after a mercury Energy contractor cut power to her Mangere home where she was using an electrically operated oxygen machine, because she was late in paying a $168.40 bill.
Mercury Energy has said it had no knowledge power was needed to keep the machine going and that it believed it had followed correct procedures.
Yesterday, power company officials visited the Muliaga household and it is believed Mighty River Power CEO Doug Heffernan handed over $10,000 to help with funeral expenses. Mrs Muliaga's funeral will be held next Wednesday.
Prime Minister Helen Clark also visited Mrs Muliaga's home and said Mercury's claim that it did nothing wrong was "just ridiculous".
"When I saw the letter from Mercury Energy which stated bluntly that the contractor had seen the lady with the medical tube in her nose and still gone ahead and disconnected, I couldn't believe that a human being could do that."
Helen Clark has also called for urgent advice on toughening up the regulations that cover the electricity industry, saying voluntary guidelines and protocols based on "goodwill" were clearly not working.
Meanwhile, the Unite Union is urging people angry about the tragedy not to take it out on Mercury Energy workers.
Unite's General Secretary Matt McCarten said staff had been getting abusive phone calls and were being blamed for the company's failings.
He said the workers should not be scapegoats for the Government's policy of providing electricity on a for-profit basis, rather than as an essential service.
- NZHERALD STAFF / NEWSTALK ZB
