A Canterbury power company says it will not seek compensation from the owner of a fallen tree that caused a power surge on Banks Peninsula.
About 100 households in Charteris Bay suffered tens of thousands of dollars of damage to electrical appliances after a pine tree fell on power lines earlier this month.
Orion New Zealand originally believed the tree owner was liable.
But the company's chief executive, Roger Sutton, says that after seeking legal advice it has accepted that it was an act of God because the tree came from the other side of the road and did not pose an obvious danger.
Mr Sutton says he understands insurance companies are processing the claims of affected customers.
