KEY POINTS:
A wide-ranging debate has followed the death of Folole Muliaga, who died last week hours after the electricity to her home and her oxygen machine was cut off.
In sending in Your Views, it is important to note that it is far too early to be sure of all the facts and who is to blame. But hundreds of people certainly have an opinion.
This forum debate is closed for now . Here is a selection of the many hundreds of your views on the topic.
Miah (proud islander, in New Zealand)
just wana say god bless to the family and sorry for your loss. as for those leaving comments/views can yous just leave it now, its got nothing to do with you, nor me, just let Mrs Muliaga rest in peace. whats done has been done, and there for we have no more say in whos to blame and who shouldve done what. just let the family mourn, and mourn in peace. and also this has nothing to do with media attention, if they were left alone, it wouldve been finished, but everyone just likes to put there noses where it doesnt belong. so there, ive said it, its not the muliaga familys fault that we have nosey people that want to intrude on there lifestyle. but i must say, if this was another family, not pi, i wonder what views those that commented about uneducated islanders coming here to eat tax payers money and what not, honestly i just wonder what they would say. so think about it, everyone has there own way of dealing with things, so just leave it at that.
Shelly Weatherley
The death of the Lady using the Oxygen ventilator is very sad and tragic, but the public should not be making judgments etc until all the facts are out on the table. I suffer from an inoperable congenital heart and lung condition. By rights I shouldn't be alive today, but miracles occur and I am lucky to have lived into my 40s, as my parents were told that I wouldn't see my second birthday. However I haven't always had to be on home oxygen. It is only in the last ten years when my health really deteriorated that I was granted an Oxygen Concentrator by Green Lane hospital back then.I am very grateful for the tax payer to pay for me to have the use of this machine whilst I am still alive, but it will never cure my heart condition, and I don't have it to keep me alive. When I first went onto the home oxygen, the medical staff explained it all to me and my family. It was to help make my breathing a little easier so I could try and live my life as simply as possible. I use it for up to 16 hours a day or more if I feel I need it, and I sleep all night with it going. Never was it ever mentioned to me, that without it would cost me my life. In fact I have given up the number of times we have experienced electricity blackouts and my O2 goes off.
I know just to sit or lie quietly and not to panic. If one starts to feel ill in anyway, like they are going to faint etc, and the power is out, the doctors instructed me and/or my family and friends to phone for an ambulance immediately. I have always had enough of my own O2 pumping through my body (just) to stay alive until the power goes back on again.
Also when the Health Board you belong to issue you with a concentrator, they give you a booklet with instructions on what to do in times like this, with telephone numbers to phone. You are usually followed up by the District Health Boards Oxygen Clinc nurse, who you can call. They send out new tubing and nasal prongs/masks etc for you. At least once a year, contractors come and give the machine a yearly check out and fix anything that might need doing. You are given a phone number to phone out of hours if the machine was to break down etc. Usually the clinic will arrange for you to get a new concentrator, which you have to make your own arrangements to collect from the hospital, or an oxygen bottle. Air Liquide who take care of the ADHB's concentrators do a wonderful job and are always very caring and helpful. The oxygen nurses at the hospital are very good, with their advice and keeping you stocked with new clean tubing and so forth.They will also give you a standard letter that explains why etc you need the oxygen, how much electricity a month it uses etc. If you are on an Invalids Pension like I am, part of this cost can be paid for through a Disability Allowance. So there are ways and means of getting around these sorts of things. It is just very sad that the family involved didn't reach out to the people who could help them, like contacting the hospital, Income Support etc. The loss of a beloved family member is always a tragedy, but perhaps the public (yes we out here) should just wait until all the facts are known before jumping to all sorts of conclusions. Thank you.
sharon Martin
Back in 2004 I lived in Mangere and had a terminally ill person in my home. Over 12 months things got quite hard and not always was power a main concern. We were having health professionals in our home on a daily basis so the situation was bad. Our power got into arrears and the power company (Mercury) did not want to know. I was served with a disconnection notice and went everywhere I could for assistance. I tried mayoral funds and in the end ended up with budgeting services having to intervene on my behalf but the only one who would listen to them was WIMZ. I got the required assistance from WINZ on the understanding that I install a meter, this was a rental house and not the easiest to get done. I feel for this family in there time and can understand there frustration at the situation as I too have been there. stay strong and although you are not alone I do understand how you are feeling, I lost my partner 3 weeks after all this. The power company have little or no regard for alot of there customers and need to be made accountable.
Elaine Byrne
Speaking from call centre experience at a power retailer (not with Mercury Energy) I can confirm that when a customer signs-up for a property they are asked if there is a medical dependency at the property and that is flagged on their account. Power companies depend on customers advising them of medical dependencies that arise at a later date.There is a slight difference with kidney dialysis as there is some communication between the dialysis service and the power companies (there may be a waiver to the Privacy Act signed by the customer to the dialysis service?).Notification of a medical dependency does not necessarily mean that a customer does not get disconnected for non-payment, basically it means that the power retailer will make stronger efforts to notify them (e.g. by telephone or voicemail) to make sure they are definitely aware that a disconnection is imminent and they need to make alternative arrangements for the at-risk person. As a Call Centre operator, many of our daily calls consist of discussions with WINZ for emergency assistance for customers, making payment arrangements and recommending ongoing payment methods for customers having difficulty with budgeting. One method of payment my employer provides is recurring direct debit which means the average historical consumption amount for that period (e.g. weekly) is deducted from the customer's bank account and the general policy is as long as that is being paid every week there is no credit action taken by the company. This is for direct debit only, not WINZ benefit redirection or other Bank payments such as AP, internet, phone. I do not know if this is general amongst other retailers. For other readers' interest, I took calls during the recent outage in the Wairarapa on 24/05/07 and received several calls from customers with medical dependencies including oxygen support and dialysis - in these circumstances we always advise if the patient feels their health is at risk or if the cause has been notified as 'under investigation' by the Network Company and the restoration may be protracted that they make other arrangements, go to the hospital or call an ambulance. This part of the conversation is always noted and I will make sure that the patient has access to a working phone/offer to call the ambulance myself. In saying this, I have been very surprised during my Call Centre experience at the number of people who 'invent' a medical dependency to prevent a disconnection and that dependency cannot be supported by a medical certificate at a later date.
Please, when making judgements about this case, have sympathy with the field technician who has to deal with people from all different walks of life in all sorts of different circumstances when conducting disconnections each day. Everybody he meets has a story and if he listened to all of them he probably wouldn't disconnect anybody! In addition these guysput up with abuse, physical threats, dogs, bad weather and other hazards in their work. Sometimes the power retailer has to send a police escort for the contractor to do the disconnection as he has received threats to his safety. Be assured, all contractors, and I have had dealings with the company concerned, are aware of the need to allow some disconnection customers the opportunity to contact their retailer whilst he is on site and will normally wait - sometimes even letting the customer use the contractor's phone. For this reason most disconnections are performed early in the business day and whilst it is daylight, to give the customer the best chance of organising payment and contacting their retailer.I await the Coroner's Report on this case and feel for the contractor who, despite the outcome, will always wonder if he made the right decision.Finally, we all have an obligation to pay for the services we use and if we cannot, to speak to our creditors to make arrangements that are satisfactory to everyone involved to maintain our good credit.
Melody
Without knowing the full story on what actually happened I am giving my opinion based on what has been released by the media. I have worked for Trustpower and we were trained in-depth on the process for signing up a customer for power who needed life supporting machinery. It was made clear to us from the outset that Trustpowers policy was - that under no circumstances whatsoever regardless of the account status was power to be disconnected from the residence/property of a customer that required life-sustaining equipment. I beleive this was a policy across all electricity suppliers within NZ but perhaps it is not?! Trustpowers training is very thorough in this respect and Which raises a few questions - 1/ Upon registration for electricity, was the registrant advised or asked if any of the occupants needed specialist medical equipment to help sustain life?
2/ If that question was asked at the time and the appropriate information given, why then was protocol not followed and power subsequently disconnected at the property? Was there a human or computer error that occurred at the electricity providers end?
3/ Did the occupant acquire life sustaining equipment after the initial registration? If so, was there a procedure in place to advise the original registrant that should their circumstances change to call them immediately to update their file with these details?
Who really is at fault here, one has to wonder. My understanding of the system is, if there is an occupant of a household that requires specialist medical equipment they should never have their power disconnected. Perhaps it is different with other power retailers? I think that despite this background checking that should have gone on in the first instance whether it be Mercury's fault because of negligence or the customers fault because they failed to give appropriate information the contractor who went to the house to disconnect should not have disconnected the power supply. It seems as though it was obvious the woman needed specialist equipment as it was attached to her person and out of compassion the contractor should have given them the benefit of the doubt and let the power connected. They could have then reclarified with the power supplier/mercury whether they were in fact in their right to disconnect power supply and to then disconnect the power. Thats my view anyway.
Jats
We've been with Mercury and Telecom for over 4 years and the attitude of both these companies towards the financial hardship faced by customers are the same. We have a medical scare at home and have tried explaining these to these people when we face difficulty in paying the bills (Recently with Mercury energy) over telephone and on such instances, they even go to an extent of saying "Sorry - we cannot accept any excuses - Please hang up now as we have other customers to attend....". Believe me, on one such instance, we even borrowed additional money from pawn brokers to pay the bill. The bill was for about $90.00, but we ended up paying $54.00 towards interest to the pawn broker.
Not a legal matter
Enough is Enough!
If the Muliaga familiy wish the investigation to be dropped, then it should be. As for the politicians who have used this as a 'band stand', all I can say is 'shame on you'. I am sure Mercury Engery have learnt something from it and would not want a repeat.
Mama Mia (Auckland)
New Zealand must be about the only country in the Western world where one can be left to die for some $200. As a result New Zealand's got a lot of bad and morbid PR round the world in both printed and electronic media. Thanks to cynical Mercury, who, apparently, have never heard of the words mercy or compassion. To them power simply means raw unadulterated power and might. But judging from the number of disconnections each and every day it's simply a coincidence that not more unfortunate people have died. But for a power company to hold the key to whether you are to live and die is simply too preposterous to be true in a Western society. It would set a perfect example to charge Mercury with manslaughter.
Maletino (Samoa)
This is a very sad story where no one wins at the end as a life has been wasted. Although , people's view are divided on this issue, the truth is still there and should come out very sooner.After listening to the Muliaga story on Tagata Pasifika, and Mercury Energy version i can now safely say that the blame is on Mercury.Why? A six family member who try to live on $400 a week is far below the poverty line in NZ but they were trying to fight their way up by not relying on Social benefits etc in which they should be commended. Their phone was cut, and they were panic when the accident happens which is a norm to us when we are faced with this sort of situation. Why Mercury then? They hired the contractor. They also had no sympathy and their systems, Policies and processes fails in a case where judgment and common sense should have been used in very rare cases like this. I wish I am a lawyer, as this is a case I would like to take up without asking for .O1 cents fee from the family. Condolences to the Muliaga family and Kids.God Bless
Mia
It is quite sad reading all the negative comments about the Muliaga family. I guess with the cultural differences you never ever cannot put yourselves in their shoes. Power is a essential need for us especially young families, their elderlies and those with at risk medical needs. Mercury is at fault as their policy should cover things like this so that the contractors will be more prepared. The poor guy must be loosing sleep and probably not feeling safe for himself and his family as he was only doing his job. This is a great loss for the Muliaga and here we are blaming them yet they will be the last people who would want something as tragic as this in their family.We jump to the conclusion thinking that they will ask for compensation yes for financial gains out of this tragedy,...,,shame on you.We all wait and see at the end of the day there will children without their mother and a husband without a wife and yet big company like Mmercury will still earning their big profits.
Angry Maori/Polynesian (mt roskill)
I am just writing in because I've been reading opinions on whose at fault? Can't we just let it be? Its got nothing to do with us, so who are we to judge? It hurts to see people put the family down, they shouldn't be blamed for this, and as for them dialling 111 or using the neighbours power, they did say their neighbour wasn't home, so what are they to do? Run across the road with their extension cord and use the power across the road?i think not. And as for the phone, they could've gone across the road, but as it said it the news, the sons were shy, common if you were raised to listen to your elders, you listen, you dont disobey them. And as for the comment about islanders coming to NZ without any qualifications etc. I think those of you should just look back and see who settled into this country first, before the Europeans came here and took over this land, yes it was our whanau,(Maori). so I dont think that anyone has the rights to say who can and cant be here in NZ, cause as far as I' aware, it was our whanau that was here first, and our whanau that made this home.
Danny(Auckland)
It makes me very angry reading the strong opinions that the public have. Firstly the family are going thru a really terrible and tragic time and all you can do is blame the family. It is so easy for you to sit outside the square and judge. I really believe that Mr Muliaga is a very humble man who wants to be left alone to grieve with his family without all this media and police saga... wouldn't you? "Hiding behind culture" someone said please I really dont think so do you need glasses? I dont see the family wanting to flee back to Samoa they have made this place their home.I applaud them for embracing their culture at this time of tragedy. They have no reason not to.In closing I would like to say "It is so funny that all the palagis are sitting outside judging this family saying this saying that.Go to Samoa experience life there then come back and have your say then maybe just maybe will listen to what you have to say. R.I.P.
Laurence Mason
The Muliaga family (who seem to be able to afford a lawyer but not their electricity bill) are revelling in the publicity. If my health relied upon oxygen dependent on a constant power supply I would (A) have a back-up oxygen bottle on hand and (B) 'phone 111 and call for an ambulance long before I'd wait for a visit from Prime Ministers and lawyers.
Richard
I think it is obvious this family is not prepared to abide by the ways of New Zealand. They want special treatment from the police, they don't call for medical assistance when something happens. Who ever heard of people connected to a death being able to tell the police how to operate?
Rick
Hey everyone I was just reading everyone's comments you know something you, are all professionals as to how the family could have solved their problem. What you would have done> A big question comes to my mind Im disgusted,with all your comments you guys watch to much t.v. Answer my question Kiwis we all know the names of the All Blacks, members of Team NZ, personalities of Dancing with the Stars. Now do you know the names of your nextdoor neighbour beside you, two doors down the road from you, across the road? I am seeing a mean streak here. Be proactive get involved in your community.thankyou.
Anne (Auckland)
Is there someone out there who thinks they or anyone else live their life in perfect balance? All the time? Never get anything wrong? Always make the best decisions? From the time you were 7yrs old? At 18? At 20? 30? Do you make rational, balanced decisions when you are anxious? Afraid? Panicked? No! You don't and no-one else does. We have the highest youth suicide rates, drug/alcohol uses, child abuse etc etc in the civilised world. These attitudes are why! This should not be about placing blame - a family have tragically lost their wife/mother and she isn't coming back. Her children should not grow up feeling they killed their mother which appears to be what some of you want. Great for the 7yr old! It is about basic human caring taking precedence over profit in every part of society and showing some compassion to those in pain. If everyone would agree on the principle there might be some hope of establishing a society where that is the case. Which one of you judges is supporting a family on $470 for a 40 hour week? It isn't the PI family who made this public. It is the Kiwi member of it and good on him. NZ should be ashamed of the way society has developed! Love one another!
kk
I think it is the family's fault as they had so much time even after the electricity was turned off. It isn't fair for Mercury energy to have to suffer from the family's stupidity to not go and get a benefit from the government to pay for their bill although they had a month to do so. They were too proud to do something and that took part in their mother passing away. I can not understand why the family didn't go to a neighbour or rang the hospital earlier. Mercury energy should pay for the family's mistakes.
Leave Helen Alone
Look. It's plain and simple. There was a death. Several causes have considered - but neither one of them, at this stage, has been established as the actual cause of death. Therefore, a Police investigation must ensue. My sympathies to the Muliaga family, purely because they have lost their mother. However, given that they had several opportunities to ascertain assistance for Mrs. Muliaga, yet none of them were pursued, I have no sympathies for the repercussions they very well may incur as a result of the Police inquest. And as for those commenting on Helen Clark, back off. This case has made International headlines and has tarnished the reputation of this country. If I were Helen Clark, I too would be in the face of the media, trying to salvage what we have left of our reputation and desperately trying to reassure the concerned international community that New Zealand is not a nation bound by chains of 'Money over Matter' - especially given that we are one of the most toured countries in the World. So for everyone sniping at Helen Clark - I ask you this: "What would you do if you were in her shoes, given that this case is now a matter of International publicity?"
Nick
Why can't the silly family shut up and let things take its course with the police investigation. If Mercury or the contractor is found at fault then they have grounds to fight for a compensation. If you ask me they (the family) seem to love the media attention?
GerardB from Sydney
If the need for electricity was at the heart of this tragedy, why did the Muliaga family not connect the machine into the next door neighbour's power supply?
Louise from Auckland
Of course the police shouldn't stop their investigations!! There are however 2 seperate issues at play here. 1. The power should not have been turned off for such a small amount that the family was obviously trying to pay off - it would have been equally as bad for an elderly person to be left cold, or a family with a young baby. 2. The issues of whether or not this was the cause of this woman's death - of course it wasn't! I imagine the poor contractor has to live with this now forever, and for what doing his job? If your job is to disconnect power in Auckland I bet there isn't too many stories he hasn't heard, too many things he hasn't seen and had more than his fair share of threats made against him. So let the police now do their job, let the power companies look at their policies so that families don't go cold this winter for the sake of less than $200 and let the Prime Minister get her votes some other way - Anyone else besides me fancy standing against her in the next election?
Bonnie
Because this is no longer a private investigation, there is no right from either side to call off the investigation. However, I am really concern with the fact that the family did not ring for an ambulance over that period of critical time which could very likely save her life. Although her death spark the awareness of contractor and power of authority issue here, but I think having commmon sense and calling for help is a more direct, proactive approach, rather than wait for someone to rescue which you know won't happen until the following day.
Nev
How are utility company CEO's supposed to know the medical conditions of their customers, it is like asking medical practitioners to know their patient credit ratings.I would like Helen Clark herself to answer the following.How many people on hospital waiting lists die waiting for medical treatment each year, because of staff shortages, which is largely due to low wages and overly demanding work conditions. [High staff turnover is a sign of bad management]. How many people die each because available treatments aren't funded. Despite the funds being budgeted and available.[poor financial control is bad management] How many times have the hospital waiting lists been redrawn when they have gotten too long?[keep shuffling the deck chairs Helen] my view is people are dying every day as a result of Helen Clark's politics, it's well past the time for Helen Clark to get off the stage and to stop embarrassing herself and insulting the public with her dogma.If this and other readers' views sound heartless it may be because we are jaded from watching the growth of benefit culture. it may also be from all the hours we have to work each week to get by. low productivity equals low wages it's time to nurture ambition and reward enterprise, not stifle growth for party politic. It's time for a change. PS, oh yea I do have medical insurance $90.00 a month and drive a small car and have always used eco lights.
Sarah K
I would never sit and watch my mother die, no matter what she said. The amount of help out there for people struggling is generous to say the least. I do not apologise for sounding harsh, as it is a reality. The family are to blame for all of this. Where were all the people crying at her funeral when she needed money/help ? There is so much more that they could have done for her, even when the contractor came and turned off their power supply. So much more.
Silence Somegood Auckland
We, the public offer our condolences to the Muliaga family, and trust that a life so nobly given, will never be forgotten. For a life taken by such tragic circumstances should show to the people and in particular to the government of this country, that their so called "Working For Family's Package" is not working. There is no doubt thousands more in the same financial constraint. Most of the problem can be put down to the cost of food at the supe market, and the developing 'cartel' by greedy companies who want to control the grocery trade. One wonders what or where the CPI figure is found every year, it certainly is not on the retail price. The removal of the 1c,2c,and now 5c has caused prices to rise at the retail level, thus putting extra hardship on those that are already struggling. No doubt the government will get their usual massive pay increase again this year. Governments are put there by the whim of the people, and by this action, people should not be afraid of their government, the government should be afraid of the people.
Annie (Mt Wellington)
It is a tragic loss for the Muliaga clan, they have lost a mother and a friend. However, it is my view that the blame should be placed squarely on the family's shoulders, no one else.
Macca of Auckland
It makes me physically sick watching Helen Clark milking this situation for all it's worth in a political sense and hope NZers can see through this.Where was Helen Clark at Liam Ashleys funeral and all the others that this Labour govt have contributed too. Is Helen going to attend every funeral that the govt has caused, she maybe very busy. The reality is the the working & middle class have become the victims of increased Govt spending at a national and local level. Interest rates are being hike to curb inflation but the only major things that are increasing are the costs of essential services ie power, water & rates of which we have no control over. Bringing in new measures to SOE's about moral requirements is a joke, it's the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff. Who says State Owned essential service providers need to make a significiant contribution to the Government coffers, aren't they there to supply a service that everyone can afford and keeping everything maintained. If that was done more families like the Mulianga's who we don't hear about would get some direct relief instead of having to go cap in hand to WINZ. Bring on the election and let get rid of Helen/Cullen and their cronies!
Michelle
I'm sorry.
Am I the only one who feels the family is at fault? 2 hours and no one rings 111? No one contacts Mercury about needing the power? And according to the hospital (as seen in a nzherald article), she needed her meds to survive, not the power. Which she had stopped taking to her own accord.so yes - the enquiry should be stopped. It is tragic their mother passed away - but I believe the family should shoulder some of the blame . And I think the media should stop making this such a big deal. Oh and Helen has lost my vote now.
Naturalised Kiwi, from Australia
Two questions came immediately to my mind when I heard this sad story. First, how can a patient be left to home care if his or her survival depends on a piece of equipment that requires uninterrupted supply of electricity? Forget a power company's decision to disconnect supply for unpaid bill, power outage could occur for a number of reasons. I would have thought it is too big a risk to leave a patient to home care if power interruption for a few hours could cause the death of the patient. Second, how can a family in New Zealand be so poor as to not afford to pay electric bill. I am asking this question as a member of a family who was among New Zealand's poorest, someone who has had permanent disability, someone who had to start life in New Zealand from the scratch having migrated as a refugee after 3 years in a refugee camp in Africa and someone who lived all his 8 years in New Zealand as welfare payment recipient. Paying electricity and other bills had never been my family's problem. My problem and the reason that made me leave New Zealand is the fact that I was condemned to life-long welfare dependency while I had skill
