UPDATE: Power was restored to Te Anau township on Friday evening (24 Oct)

The military is likely to be called in to urgently move spare generators located in the north of the North Island to save Southland’s dairy industry in what’s rapidly becoming a high scale emergency for dairy farmers.

Southland Federated Farmers president Jason Herrick says some farmers have generators, some don’t, and there are a lot of farms without power. ‘We’re currently working on solutions.

Some farmers are sharing their generators but there’s a limited supply,” he says. “We’re working through the logistics to get as many cows milked as possible,” Herrick, in Melbourne for his son’s wedding tomorrow, says.

With 22 cellphone towers affected by the power outages all over the province telecommunications companies are “running around putting generators in”, he says.

With power and water out and no cellphone coverage in many areas there’s a “massive shortage” of generators”.

Federated Farmers has hopefully located a generator supplier with some available in the northern North Island and is working on “the ways and means” to get them south urgently.

They’ve been liaising with the government and Southland MP Joseph Mooney, and Herrick says they’re hopeful military intervention will be made available.

The Air Force is likely to fly them in by helicopters and get them in for farmers as soon as possible and they’ve offered to assist coordinating things on the ground.

They would then help mobilise the generators and getting them onto the relevant farms with the electricians to wire them in, he says.

Joseph Mooney was on his way by car to Te Anau this afternoon, where they’re still without power leaving the district without petrol also and Eftpos machines, heading into one of the busiest weekends of the year.

“I’m just checking in to see how they’re doing in Te Anau as it’s a bit cut off with very little telecommunications reception in many areas,” Mooney says. “It’s difficult to get hold of anyone so I’m driving there to see what I can find out and offer any help I can.”

He says Emergency Management Minister Mark Mitchell is keen to help in any way possible and lend support to bring in military assistance but that needs to be led by Civil Defence – Emergency Management Southland. At present the various agencies were working out the extent of help needed.

“At this stage we’re waiting for Civil Defence in Southland to coordinate what’s required. If they want that military help we are very keen to help support them in making that happen,” he says.

Soutlanders were typically “doing it the Southland way and getting on with it, and trying to make it work”, Mooney says.

With so many cut off from communications it was hard to know exactly how many in rural communities were without power, but Herrick says the biggest issue for dairy farmers was maintaining peak flow and full production. “If the cows aren’t miked that affects production for the rest of the year,” he says. “If they’re only being milked once a day now those farmers will lose 10% of their yearly production throughout the year.

They’ll start drying up,” he says. “There will definitely be productivity losses. We’ve got to minimise those, but there is only a certain amount of generators,” he says.

Animal welfare was the main priority for farmers right now. “People are distraught, with roofs off, trees up and power out, but they’re displaying the “good old ‘she’ll be right’ attitude,” Herrick says.

“It’s mainly about ensuring water and power and stock proofing, removing fallen trees for stock security – water is a big issue.”

He’s urging farmers to call Rural Support Trust on 0800 787254 or the Federated Farmers Emergency Hotline on 0800327646 if they need support, with many Canterbury farmers hit hard and already calling in. Alternatively email – [email protected]

Mooney says while the 2020 floods were severe, locals “have never seen winds like this in living memory”. “It’s pretty phenomenal,” he says. “A guy was telling me an 81-year-old Southlander was saying he’d never seen winds like this.”

‘Mike’, of McKeowns Fuel in Oamaru, says at last update their Gore, Riverton, Lumsden and Bluff pumps were back online with power, but the rest of the 25 around Southland were still out.

“Most farmers have fuel tanks, but some have electric pumps. Knowing farmers’ ingenuity, they’ll get it out somehow,” he says, “but it’s needed for the dairy sheds”. “A lot of the larger dairy operations will have their own generators, but the smaller ones won’t.”

He says where possible people are loaning out their portable generators to others. “It’s beg, steal or borrow, but a lot are up and running on generators,” he says.

Fuel supplies had been topped up where roads were open.

Kingston residents were also cut off from communications, power and had no fresh water supplies. “Everything’s gone,” resident Cat Mercer says. She was on her way back from Queenstown after driving there for barbecue supplies and bottled water. “They’re talking two or three days,” she says.

Residents were bracing themselves were more rain forecast and the snow melt yet to come as Lake Wakatipu lapped at extremely high levels.

“We’ve got the Monopoly and cards out, a bottle of wine, and the fire on for tonight,” she says.