The previous month had seen the three main cables fail one by one. The local power supply company Mercury Energy blamed high air conditioning demand due to hot summer weather, while some commentators questioned whether Mercury's recently announced record profits had been boosted by untimely reductions in maintenance expenditure and personnel. Companies in the CBD were becoming accustomed to power fluctuations due to the earlier cable failures. However, when the last cable failed traffic lights, retailers, businesses and about 6,000 apartment dwellers were plunged into darkness. Six weeks of chaos followed as Mercury struggled to locate and repair the underground cable faults, eventually resorting to the fast-track construction of an 11km overhead link beside railway lines leading into the city.
Electricity is a vital utility.
Not only does it power computer systems, but also lights, air conditioning, lifts, coffee machines, water supply pumps and a host of other devices essential to the running of a business and the safety and well being of staff. Conveniently, the crisis hit during a weekend, providing a head start for the implementation of contingency arrangements. Businesses unprepared for the crisis scrambled to relocate staff and systems elsewhere. IT staff discovered the difficulties of carrying multiple PCs down darkened stairwells with no air conditioning. Other staff were deployed to offices elsewhere in New Zealand and in some cases Australia.