Unplanned Outages
Click here to find out more about power outages and who to contact when your power is out.
Our outages page has estimated restoration times to give you an indication of when your power may come back on. How long it will take to reconnect you depends on the cause of the outage and how complex it is to repair - that’s why restoration times are only an estimate. Keep checking the page for updates to the estimated restoration time.
Our crews work as quickly and safely as they can to restore power but the damage from severe weather and storms (such as high winds damaging equipment and trees/debris blowing into power lines) is significant, with many outages having multiple faults that need repairing or replacing. For these outages, the extent of the damage and the complexity of repairs means it’s taking longer than expected for our crews to restore supply.
In some areas, weather conditions are a factor – when winds are high, crews are unable to work at height using elevated work platforms and ladders. This can delay restoring power. Ongoing wild weather can also cause more damage and rolling outages.
Rural and remote areas can also pose challenges for our crews in accessing sites. Slips, flooding and closed roads means our crews can’t get to where they need to make repairs. In these instances, we need to use helicopters and drones.
We know it’s frustrating waiting to be reconnected, but rest assured our crews are doing everything they can to get the power back on for everyone as quickly and safely as possible.
Talk to your retailer (the company you pay your power bill to) and we will supply the information to them.
Contact your local council, or find out more on our streetlight information page
You might not see your outage on our outages page because:
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Your outage hasn’t been reported yet
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Indicated areas on the map are approximate.
Visit our report an outage page for next steps on what you can check if you’re experiencing an outage, and how you can report your outage.
There are two common causes of flickering power:
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If your power has gone off and come back on three or four times, our overhead line is sensing an object touching it (such as a kite or tree branch). We have safety equipment on our overhead lines to interrupt power if anything comes in contact with them. If the object clears from the line, power will come back on. If the object stays on the line, the power will go off until our crew come to check it.
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If your power is flickering over a longer period of time there will be a problem either with your internal wiring (such as a loose connection), or on our network. Call your retailer (the company you pay your power bill to) for further help.
Check that your hot water cylinder is on. If your cylinder is on but it’s still cold after six hours call your retailer and they will help you troubleshoot the issue.
No. In fact, there may be less electricity used overall reheating a cold cylinder than keeping a cylinder at the set temperature with uninterrupted electricity supply.
Planned outages
You’ll get a letter or an email from your retailer (the company you pay your power bill to). You can also search your address for upcoming planned outages on our planned outages page click here
Sometimes we can change the date of a planned outage if the change doesn’t overly impact our network operations and planning. Contact your retailer (the company you pay your power bill to) and request a change for us to consider. You’ll hear the outcome of the review through your retailer.
We do planned outages during the day so our crews can work safely. We understand there’s never a convenient time to have a planned outage, so thank you for your patience. Maintaining and improving our network is essential for you to have safe, reliable and resilient power supply.
Switch the unit off prior to the outage if you can. Our crew may remove your service fuse at your service pole or pillar box as an extra precaution, so your power may go off slightly earlier and be restored slightly later than the times in the letter or email from your retailer advising you of the outage.
We don’t supply generators for planned outages. We understand there’s never a convenient time to have a planned outage, but they are necessary to ensure that your power supply is safe, reliable and resilient. About 150,000 homes and businesses are affected by our planned outages each year, so it would simply cost too much to supply generators for everyone.
General
We try our best to provide accurate restoration times on our outage map, but during storm events these can be difficult to predict because of the dynamic nature of severe weather and its impact. We recommend you check back regularly to see if there are updates.
Please see our outage page for the latest information. Keep in mind that restoration times are estimates only, so check back regularly to see if there have been any updates.
Yes, it’s important you report your outage as this makes sure we’re aware of every fault (even if your neighbours have power, but you don’t).
Please report your power outage to your electricity retailer (the company who sends your power bill) or you can report your power outage on our website.
If your address isn’t appearing, it could be that it wasn’t registered correctly. You can look up your address here. Alternatively, you can enter your ICP address (this will be stated on your power bill).
Please report your power outage on our website, or you can call your electricity retailer (the company who sends your power bill).
Our emergency number (0800 27 27 27) should only be used to report unsafe situations (such as fallen power lines). Prioritising calls this way ensures we can focus our customer service efforts on restoring power.
Please make sure you’ve reported your outage here so it is logged in our system.
The safety of our crews and customers is our top priority.
Our crews work into the evening to carry out as many repairs as they can, but for safety reasons we may need to stand them down when it gets dark (usually around 9pm) and ask them to continue at first light the following day.
We will also stand down crews if conditions are dangerous, for example, it is unsafe to climb ladders to access poles in strong winds.
We do our very best to prepare for extreme weather events and respond quickly by having extra crews on the ground ready to make repairs and restore power to our customers.
Our customers have an important role to play too – before the wild weather arrives, please take the time to secure anything that could blow into lines, such as corrugated iron roofing, loose plastic bale wrapping, outdoor furniture and trampolines. Keeping your trees and vegetation clear of power lines is also a big help – overgrown trees cause one in five outages on our network, especially during high winds and storms when branches blow into power lines.
If you see downed lines, you must stay well clear as they may be live – call our emergency line on 0800 27 27 27 or 111 immediately.
We know it’s difficult to be without power and understand the challenges it creates for those at home and businesses who are unable to operate.
However, because we bring electricity to some 900,000 customers across our network, we must prioritise generators for essential community services such schools, and ask others please be patient while our crews work to get you reconnected. We encourage all our business customers to factor in back-up power supply as part of their business continuity planning.
Medically dependent customers should contact their retailer (the company you pay your power bill to) immediately. They’ll be able to help you.
Please get in touch with our team at CustomerExperience@powerco.co.nz and they can advise on your situation.
If you want to make a formal complaint, please contact us here and one of our team will be in touch with you.
Powerco is a member of the Utilities Disputes Scheme, which means we’re part of a free and independent service for resolving complaints about utilities providers that you can access.
