Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Payout won't set precedent, says Transpower

Updated at 5:38 pm on 4 September 2010

Transpower says its payments to some Otago landowners for disruption during a lines upgrade should not cause others to think they will get compensation.

A total of 130 landowners between the Clutha and Waitaki rivers will receive one-off payments from Transpower, totalling about $2 million.

Recent upgrade projects, including the Roxburgh-Islington line in South Canterbury, have been blighted by disputes with farmers about compensation for access to their land.

Transpower says the Otago payments will not set a precedent.

The company says it has a right to access private property to carry out maintenance and only farms disrupted by a major upgrade may be compensated.

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