Power protesters storm out of meeting

Farmer Gray Baldwin hurls abuse at the burning effigy of Transpower executive Ralph Craven. Picture / Amos Chapple

Effigies of Helen Clark and Transpower chief executive Ralph Craven were burned outside the Tirau town hall last night.

The fiery protest came shortly before more than 300 angry landowners gathered for Transpower's update on the proposed 400kV line from Whakamaru to Otahuhu.

Opposition to the proposal, which will see pylons run through properties in the Waikato and South Auckland, has been escalating this week as Transpower starts its second round of public meetings following the project's announcement.

Affected landowners say the pylons will devalue their property, hinder their land use and cause visual pollution and ill health.

They say Transpower has not investigated all the options to solve Auckland's power woes and are demanding the line be placed underground or other solutions found.

Before last night's meeting the crowd marched to the town's main street chanting "No pylons", stopping outside the Tirau War Memorial Hall and stringing effigies of the PM and Mr Craven on a model pylon before setting fire to them.

The pylon was then pulled down by Myrtle, the Massey Fergusson tractor made famous for being driven up the steps of Parliament.

In the hall, opponents were still chanting "No pylon" and stamping their feet. Lone Transpower consultant Peter Phillips was left to deal with the crowd as other Transpower officials waited in a side room.

Most of the crowd left the hall before Transpower could make any presentation, but not before an angry stand-off between Mr Phillips and residents.

"I'm not going to set my colleagues at Transpower up to be abused like they were last night," Mr Phillips said, referring to the scenes that greeted officials in Matamata on Wednesday night.

He told the crowd they could listen to Transpower's presentation or take over the meeting.

"Last night I learned not one bit of new information," Mr Phillips said, referring to the arguments that landowners are putting across.

About 50 people saw the presentation.