Update from Powerco

Thursday 4pm update

Customers without power following heavy rain and wind overnight in Coromandel Peninsula, western Bay of Plenty and eastern and southern Waikato should prepare for several days without power.  

During the peak of the outages (1am Thursday), 14,900 customers were affected by power cuts in the storm regions. By 4pm today, that number was down to 5,700.  

Our crews have been out fixing as much as they can today and restoring supply to as many people as possible. However, flooding and slips in some areas are causing difficulties for our crews to get to fault sites to make repairs. Some of those areas will require a helicopter to look at the scale of the damage, because some of the damage is significant.

Damage is widespread, with trees through lines, poles down, and electricity boxes flooded, Powerco Head of Network Operations, Mark Dunn, says.  

“We know it’s really hard to be without power, however we need to be realistic. The conditions mean customers should prepare to be without power for several days – particularly if they are in the flooded areas or there are road closures. 

“Crews can only make repairs once it is safe to do so – when roads are accessible and flooding has subsided. If you are in storm affected areas and you’re without power, thank you for your patience and understanding."

How to stay safe 

If you see downed power lines, it’s important to:   

* Stay at least 10m away from the lines and poles - that's about the length of a bus.   

* Call 111 immediately or Powerco's emergency number, 0800 27 27 27.