Te Kuiti electrician's heartwarming free service to NZ's elderly

  • 20/09/2018

A Kiwi electrician is making life a little easier for New Zealand's elderly by offering to change their light bulbs for free. 

James Marshall, owner of Marshall Electrical in Te Kuiti, has no regrets after pledging his business to the cause, telling The AM Show on Thursday he's seen too many elderly struggling to replace their own light bulbs. 

He hopes it will spark others to check on their neighbours. 

"I've worked in different places in New Zealand and Australia, working on different clients' houses, and seen this sort of stuff," he said. 

"Working for someone else, I had no control over it, so I started my own business in April down in Te Kuiti, and now I do have control over it."

Mr Marshall's wife posted about the initiative to the company's social media page on Tuesday, saying Marshall Electrical will "come and change [elderly people's] light bulbs for FREE!"

"They can provide there [sic] own or they can purchase our large range of lights that fit everyone's budget," the post adds. 

"There will be NO hourly charge or call out fee for this."

Since the post was published on Facebook, Mr Marshall said the company SmartVent has donated a ventilation system for him to install into a needy person's home. He has also been donated 100 LED lights by another company. 

"At the end of the day, it's not always about business," he told The AM Show. 

"People say time is money, but sometimes your time is more than money. Doing little things like this can be more precious to other people."

He said at this stage the free visits will only be during after-work hours and during the weekend. 

He also said LED lights will last longer than traditional light bulbs, and shouldn't require being replaced as often. 

Newshub.