Power outages today

A power outage map split between 29 regional networks

When the power goes out in New Zealand, the company that restores it is almost never your retailer. It is your lines company, the regulated monopoly that owns the poles and wires running to your home. Twenty-nine of them share the country, each with its own outage map.

Vector covers Auckland, the largest network in the country. Powerco serves Taranaki, eastern Waikato, western Bay of Plenty, most of Manawatū-Whanganui and Wairarapa. Orion runs the Christchurch and Selwyn grid. Wellington Electricity supplies the capital. Top Energy keeps the Far North connected. Unison Networks operates across Hawke's Bay, Taupō and Rotorua. Counties Power (rebranded Counties Energy in 2021) covers the Franklin growth corridor south of Auckland.

Above the lines companies sits Transpower, the state-owned operator of the national high-voltage grid, with 11,000 km of transmission lines and a HVDC cable connecting the two islands under Cook Strait. Below them, four large generator-retailers (gentailers) produce about 90% of the country's electricity: Meridian Energy, Contact Energy, Mercury and Genesis.

Why power outages happen in New Zealand

New Zealand's power network is shaped by its geography: long mountainous spines, exposed coastlines, dense forest cover and a national grid that runs from Northland to Southland. Most outages trace back to four recurring drivers.

Wind, storms and cyclones

High winds are the single largest cause of unplanned outages. Northland and Wellington are particularly exposed. Tropical cyclones (Gabrielle in February 2023 caused the worst outages on record across Hawke's Bay, Gisborne and Tairāwhiti) and winter southerly storms in Canterbury regularly bring down overhead lines.

Trees and vegetation

Native bush, exotic pine plantations and suburban tree cover mean vegetation contact is a constant pressure on rural networks. Top Energy in the Far North and Powerco in Taranaki and Coromandel publish vegetation management as one of their largest operating costs.

Long rural feeders

Sixteen of the 29 lines companies have fewer than 10 connections per kilometre of network. Long, lightly loaded rural feeders cost more to maintain and take longer to restore after a fault, which is why farmers and dairy operations in Southland, Otago, Wairarapa and Northland see higher SAIDI numbers than urban Auckland.

Earthquakes and volcanic activity

The 2010 and 2011 Canterbury earthquakes forced Orion to rebuild much of the Christchurch network. The 2016 Kaikōura quake damaged the South Island's transmission corridor. Unison and Mercury operate networks in the Taupō Volcanic Zone, where geothermal generation also concentrates.

A market built around gentailers and consumer trusts

The electricity sector was restructured between 1996 and 1999. Generation and retail were opened to competition, while transmission (Transpower) and distribution (the 29 lines companies) were kept as regulated monopolies. Four vertically integrated gentailers now account for around 90% of generation and the majority of retail customers.

On the lines side, ownership is dispersed. Most distributors are owned by consumer trusts (Entrust for Vector, Hawke's Bay Power Consumers' Trust for Unison, Top Energy Consumer Trust for Top Energy) or by local councils (Christchurch City Holdings for Orion, Dunedin City Holdings for Aurora). A few are foreign-owned: Powerco belongs to Queensland Investment Corporation and AMP Capital, Wellington Electricity to CK Hutchison Holdings of Hong Kong.

Retail prices have climbed from around 18.9 cents per kWh in 2006 to 39.3 cents per kWh in November 2025, with further increases expected in April 2026 driven by lines charges. Renewable generation stays high, around 85% of national output, mainly hydroelectricity and geothermal.

Where to check your outage and who to call

Each lines company publishes its own outage map and 24/7 fault line. The retailer (Mercury, Genesis, Contact, Meridian, Electric Kiwi, Frank, Powershop and others) handles billing and supply contracts, not restoration.

Vector (Auckland)

Vector's outage map covers the largest urban area in the country, from Wellsford in the north to Papakura in the south, plus Waiheke Island. Faults: 0508 832 867.

Powerco (multi-region North Island)

Powerco runs the second-largest electricity network in New Zealand, serving Taranaki, eastern Waikato, western Bay of Plenty, Manawatū-Whanganui and Wairarapa. Faults: 0800 27 27 27.

Top Energy (Northland Far North)

Top Energy covers Kaitaia, Kerikeri and Kaikohe. The network is exposed to cyclones and has some of the longest rural feeders in the country. Faults: 0800 867 363.

Counties Power (Auckland south, Franklin)

Counties Power (rebranded Counties Energy in 2021) covers Pukekohe, Waiuku, Tuakau, Pokeno and the Franklin growth corridor. Faults: 0800 100 202.

Unison Networks (Hawke's Bay, Taupō, Rotorua)

Unison Networks covers Napier, Hastings, Taupō and Rotorua. The Hawke's Bay network was hit hard by Cyclone Gabrielle in February 2023. Faults: 0800 286 476.

Wellington Electricity, Orion and the other 22 lines companies

Wellington Electricity serves the capital, Hutt Valley and Porirua (faults: 0800 248 148). Orion covers Christchurch, Selwyn and parts of Banks Peninsula (faults: 0800 363 9898). The other 22 networks include Aurora (Dunedin), Northpower (Whangārei), WEL Networks (Hamilton), Electra (Kāpiti), Network Tasman (Nelson), Alpine Energy (South Canterbury), Marlborough Lines, MainPower (North Canterbury), Westpower, EA Networks, Network Waitaki, The Power Company (Southland), Electricity Invercargill and several smaller rural EDBs.