Powershop is an online power company available to residents in the Gisborne area, including Kaiti, Elgin , Tamarau and Whataupoko . We’ve been supplying homes and businesses with electricity in Gisborne since 2017.
Who has the power in Gisborne?
Around 25,881 individual properties are connected to the electricity network in the Gisborne region.
The average consumption per property in Gisborne is approximately 6,502 kWh* per year. This compares to 6,930 kWh* per year for the North Island as a whole and 8,043 kWh* per year in the South Island. And this below-average power consumption is not surprising, considering Gisborne’s famous sunshine!
Where does the power come from?
New Zealand’s on a mission towards fully renewable energy, and at least 80% of this falls into that category. Many homes in Gisborne make the most of the high average of sunny days by harnessing the power of solar panels. Some of these households sell this back into the grid.
Who is the local lines company in Gisborne?
Firstlight Network is the energy lines company in Gisborne. Firstlight also supplies power to Wairoa and the East Coast. The network maintains the poles, lines and underground cabling used to deliver energy to the region.
Your lines company are the ones to call if there is a fault or outage at your property.
How much do I pay for power living in Gisborne?
Enter your address in our calculator. to get a quick estimate of your rates. You can also upload a recent bill to get an annual cost estimate and find out how much Powershop could save you compared to your current retailer.
Or you can download the current rates for residential customers in Gisborne.
How can I save money on power in Gisborne?
Living in Gisborne offers households plenty of ways to save on power:
- Adjusting the majority of power use to off peak periods.
- A reduction in appliance use.
- Move your laundry drying outside!
- Utilise that sunshine and try solar energy (this will require an extended period of time to make back the savings if you need to install panels).
- If you’re with Powershop, buying our regular discounted specials.
For more power saving tips check out our Saving Electricity hub.
Meet Get Shifty — Our Time of Use plan that rewards clever timing
Electricity isn't one flat price all day long, and at Powershop, we've built our Time of Use plan around that reality. We call it Get Shifty — because with a bit of clever timing, you can pay less for power without actually using less of it.
Shift your energy-hungry tasks like laundry, dishwashing, or EV charging to off-peak windows when demand on the grid drops, and the savings add up naturally. Got a smart meter? You'll be automatically enrolled in Get Shifty when you join — no extra steps needed.
The catch? Peak and off-peak times vary depending on your local network, so the best time to "get shifty" looks a little different depending on where you live. Check out the Get Shifty Map to find the exact time windows for your region and start saving from day one.
What are the rates?
To find out your rates for the Firstlight Network, please contact us using our live chat. Or download our full rates for residential customers in the Gisborne area.
*Source: EA Retail Dashboards - Residential consumption trends
