Copper thefts trigger second major internet blackout in Bay of Islands, hurting tourism

At 1.27 am on Friday, suspected copper thieves caused a second major internet failure in a week, knocking out service for about 750 homes and businesses throughout the Russell peninsula and nearby settlements such as Ōkiato, Rāwhiti and Karetu. The loss halted electronic payments for retailers, hotels and the local ferry service, prompting the Duke of Marlborough Hotel to deploy staff-bought Starlink kits to restore EFTPOS.

Chorus confirmed the damage likely resulted from vandalism of copper cables that run alongside fibre, and technicians are preparing to splice the lines but have not set a repair deadline. Northland MP Grant McCallum called for stricter measures against copper theft and for scrap metal dealers to cooperate with police. He stressed the timing is critical as the region gears up for cruise-ship and wedding seasons, and warned that repeated outages could cripple the tourism-dependent economy. The incident underscores the broader vulnerability of rural broadband infrastructure to metal-theft crimes.