Y2K generates hire business

Electrical generators are in demand, as industrial and commercial businesses prepare for backup in the event of any Y2K problems.

In scenes reminiscent of the 1998 Auckland power crisis and Apec, generators have appeared outside buildings in central city streets.

The Auckland water retailer Metrowater has a number of generators on standby for use at key pumping stations to ensure water and sewage continues to flow in case of any disruption to electricity supplies.

Philip Lendich, a director of New Zealand Generator Hire, a division of Projex, said all the company's generators were booked nationwide for the next couple of weeks.

"I think everyone is busy in the generator game at the moment. It is a worldwide thing."