The site was not operational and the water supply was not affected by the theft.
“This is theft from the community and is a nuisance for us as it will need to be replaced, which will cost approximately $2000,” Gurden said.
He said the power cable was made of copper, but it was a small cable.
Ngāti Rangiwewehi iwi, who worked with the council monitoring the waterway, said in a Facebook post they were “disappointed” by the theft.
The post said the cable ran between Rewarewa Spring pump station and stream monitoring site.
“This impacts vital monitoring of our wai [water] and delays important environmental work.”
The post said diesel had also been siphoned from Hamurana Golf Course machinery, potentially around the same time.
“We understand times are tough, but this behaviour puts our water supply at risk and affects those maintaining the course and walkways for everyone.
“This isn’t okay – it impacts us all.”
The Rewarewa Spring, near where 150m of copper cables was stolen by thieves. Photo / Rotorua Lakes Council
The post said security would be increased in the area.
“Please stop and respect our shared spaces, our wai, and each other.”
A police spokesperson said they had exhausted all lines of inquiry to find those responsible.
They said police were seeing people put themselves in extreme danger to steal copper, especially those who were cutting wires or being near exposed wires.
Stealing copper was not worth the risk of serious injury or death linked to these methods of obtaining it.
The thefts could also cause thousands of dollars in damage.
Police said anyone who saw damaged or exposed wires should call Orion on 0800 363 9898 immediately.
Anyone with information in relation to the Hamurana incident was asked to contact police online at 105.police.govt.nz or by calling 105, and reference 260528/9523.
Information could also be provided anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 0800 555 111.
Why copper?
Thieves often target copper items as the material can be sold to scrap metal yards.
According to Endless Metals, a scrap metal buyer based in Auckland, old cables can be valuable, especially if they contain copper.
Stripped cables typically achieve higher returns than insulated ones, the business’ website said.
Prices varied but June pricing had copper cables fetching $4 to $18.30 per kilogram, depending if they were “bright and shiny” or covered in PVC.
Fuel thefts plateau
Rotorua Police area commander Inspector Herby Ngawhika said police locally noticed a spike in fuel thefts immediately when prices shot up several weeks ago.
He said it had plateaued now.
“That’s not to say we are not getting large fuel thefts out of the likes of Kāingaroa Forest around the heavy machinery but in general terms it’s not to the degree we expected.”
Kelly Makiha is a senior journalist who has reported for the Rotorua Daily Post for more than 25 years, covering mainly police, court, human interest and social issues.