KEY POINTS:
Investigations are under way into how a lineman got an electric shock that left him seriously injured and burned as he worked to replace a power pole near Whangarei.
Lee Wihone, 36, had regained consciousness last night and was in a stable condition in Whangarei Hospital's intensive care unit.
He received the 400-volt shock from a low-voltage line as he replaced the power pole at Waikaraka, on the Whangarei Heads road, on Wednesday.
The Northpower lines company employee, a father of five children, was working on what the firm described as the routine replacement of a pole hit by a car on Friday.
Northpower spokeswoman Jodi Hayward said workmates carried out CPR on Mr Wihone until an ambulance arrived and he was taken to Whangarei Hospital.
She said doctors had since established Mr Wihone did not have heart damage after his shock, and news late yesterday of his regained consciousness had lifted the spirits of workers at the company's Whangarei depot.
Mr Wihone had worked for Northpower for four years and was an experienced line mechanic, Ms Hayward said.
Before coming north, he had worked out of the company's East Tamaki depot in Auckland.
The exact circumstances of the accident are still being investigated.
Mr Wihone worked last week to restore power after strong winds and heavy rain knocked out parts of the local line network but Northpower said fatigue was not a factor in the accident.
Occupational Safety and Health and government agency Energy Safety are investigating.
Meanwhile, further north, inspections by the Far North District Council show that 142 houses need repair work in the district's worst flood-hit areas, most of them in Totara North, Kaeo, Whangaroa and Kaitaia.
The council estimates about 150 people have had to leave their homes because of floodwater damage, slips and failed septic tank systems.
Not all 142 houses identified so far are uninhabitable, but 75 deemed unsanitary cannot be reoccupied until they have been cleaned, disinfected and dried out.
Some houses considered dangerous and at risk are not damaged but need work such as retaining walls to mitigate the risk of further subsidence or slips.
Six homes will have to be lifted at least half a metre above flood level to end up about 2m above their existing height.
Uninsured home owners are being put in touch with agencies such as Work and Income and Housing NZ that can offer financial support or help with alternative accommodation.
