Two diggers being used to repair Kaikōura infrastructure have been damaged in a "sabotage" attack, the Fire Service says.
Kaikōura fire chief Ian Walker. Photo: RNZ / Kate Newton
Chief fire officer Ian Walker said someone had drained the diesel tank on a digger owned by local contractor Ford Bros, tampered with hydraulic valves and had thrown away some parts overnight.
A similar thing had happened to a digger owned by another contractor a week ago, he said.
"They've been sabotaged, that's what's happened," he said.
"They've been both deliberate acts because of the way in which the damage has occurred."
Police were investigating both incidents.
Mr Walker said he had no idea why someone would deliberately damage such equipment.
"It's a bit unfortunate that someone's going round damaging equipment when we need every bit of it we can get," he said.
"They've all been in the last week when machinery is needed most."
On both occasions, the damage had occurred overnight while the diggers were parked up, Mr Walker said.
The owner of the first damaged digger, who did not want to be named, said he had been using the digger to carry out emergency water supply repairs.
"We were desperately trying to get water to the reservoir to supply the town before it ran out."
What had been done was "pretty low", the owner said.
"I can't think of anyone who would go and do that - it's concerning that there's someone in our community who's prepared to do that without thinking of the consequences and the flow-on effect."
The damage to both diggers was similar and he believed the saboteur was likely to be a local "disgruntled" contractor who had not received any work in the quake's aftermath.
"They knew exactly how to completely disable that piece of machinery."
Inspector Ross Lienert said the police were investigating and it was likely in a close-knit town like Kaikōura that someone would know who was responsible.
He said it was a whole lot worse that it had happened during a state of emergency, because the diggers were vital to the recovery of the town.
Locals who spoke to RNZ said they had heard about the damage and there were suggestions it could have been done by rival contractors.
Mr Lienert said the police had also heard those rumours but had no information to suggest they were true.
Meanwhile, the inland road was opened for seven stock trucks yesterday so dairy farmers could get cows out to be milked, rather than drying them off.
But Civil Defence said it was important people realise the inland road was only open to emergency and infrastructure vehicles and remains closed to private vehicles.
Retail owner Wayne Scott said there was "a lot of politics in clearing the roads".
Because big companies like Downer and Fulton Hogan already held the large state highway maintenance contracts, there were other smaller contractors who wanted to help but were still negotiating how that could happen, Mr Scott said.
