The most important thing you should do during a power outage is to stay safe
A power cut could be due to a widespread outage, or a localised fault at your place.
If power lines are down or you see other dangers, keep well clear. Treat all electrical lines and wires as if they are live and deadly.
If you notice a power outage, then the first thing to do is check with your lines company to see if there is an outage in your area.
If you ever feel your health is at risk due to a power outage call emergency services on 111 or get to a hospital.
Check with your local lines company
What lines company you are with will depend on the region you live. The map below from ENA.ORG.NZ will tell you which lines company services your area and their contact number.
Enter your address on the top right of the map below to find your lines company.
For the following lines companies, you will need to contact Powershop directly regarding an outage in your area. Buller Electricity, Electricity Ashburton, Horizon, Marlborough Lines Ltd, Orion, Unison and Wellington Electricity. Please check on their website first to see if the lines company is already aware of the outage. You can find a link in the below section of this webpage for each lines company’s outage page.
If you are in one of these regions and need to contact Powershop for an emergency, you can do so on our 24-hour faults and outages line 0800 462 668.
See below for each lines company outage page where you can check to see if there is an outage in your area.
North Island
Northland
Far North: Topenergy
Northland: Northpower
Auckland
Waikato
Waikato: WEL Networks
Waipa: Waipa Networks
King Country: The Lines Company
Rotorua and Taupo: Unison
South Waikato: Powerco
Bay of plenty
Eastern Bay of Plenty: Horizon Networks
Coromandel, Thames, Tauranga: Powerco
Gisborne
Gisborne and East Coast: Firstlight Network
Hawke's Bay
Taranaki
Taranaki, Manawatu, Wanganui and Wairarapa: Powerco
Manawatu
Taranaki, Manawatu, Whanganui and Wairarapa: Powerco
Wellington
Kapiti and Horowhenua: Electra
Wellington: Wellington Electricity
South Island
Tasman
Nelson
Marlborough
West Coast
West Coast : Westpower
Buller: Buller Electricity
Canterbury
North Canterbury & Kaiapoi: Mainpower
Christchurch and Central Canterbury: Orion
Mid Canterbury: EA Networks
South Canterbury: Alpine Energy
Otago
North Otago: Network Waitaki
South East Otago: Powernet / Otago Power
Dunedin, Central Otago & Queenstown: Aurora
Southland
Invercargill : Powernet/ Electricity Invercargill
Southland: Powernet / The Power Company
Using the Powershop app to find your lines company
In the Powershop app under the Contact Us page, you’ll see your lines company listed with their contact number. You will also find this information on your Account Review PDF.
Switch off appliances at the wall
If your power goes off it’s a good idea to switch off all electrical appliances at the wall. It’s especially important to make sure hazardous appliances (e.g., heaters and ovens) or sensitive electronic equipment (e.g., computers) are turned off or unplugged at the wall. This can reduce the risk of fire, or damage to equipment if there is an electricity surge when the supply is restored. Just leave a light or two on so you know when the power has come back on.
Medically dependent Customers
If you are a customer that is reliant on power for medical reasons, then you need to make sure you have a back-up plan if there is an outage. This would have been mentioned to you when you signed up with us and filled in the medically dependent form.
An example of a back-up plan could be an alternative power source, such as a UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) or a back-up generator. It is also a good idea to make sure your friends and family know that you rely on power for medical purposes and to have a backup place to stay if need be. This could be a friend or family members house or a hospital or alternative care arrangement.
You can get more information about being prepared with medical equipment and power here.
If you need to contact Powershop for anything else, the best way to contact our team is via Live Chat on the website. Our team are available from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday.
