Phil Mauger: Christchurch councillor fined over trench dug to fix 10-year flooding problem

Canterbury Mornings with Chris Lynch

The vigilante Christchurch City Councillor fined for digging a 70 metre trench to solve long-term flooding on Pages Road is now considering running for Mayor.
A Christchurch City councillor has been fined $300 after digging a trench to solve a street's flooding problem that had gone unfixed for 10 years.
Councillors Phil Mauger and James Daniels hired a digger and dug the 70-metre trench on Pages Rd and the council spent nearly $10,000 plugging it due to safety concerns.
An investigation was launched into their actions.
Residents applauded Mauger at the time, and there are calls on social media for him to run for Mayor.
Mauger told Chris Lynch he's putting serious thought into it, spurred on by a conversation with his late father.
The councillor, who owns Mauger's Contracting Ltd which carries out earthmoving and construction, must also carry out other red zone maintenance work at no cost to council.
Mauger told Chris Lynch he might not have gone about fixing the flooding the right way - but he had to do something.
He said the "puddle" was the size of 10 football fields and it had been a problem for 10 years.
A council spokeswoman said a detailed site inspection report has yet to be received for landfill material.
She was unable to say if the telecommunication cables were live.