From time to time your network may need to turn off power to a particular property or area. This is done so maintenance or upgrades can be done, your local network company website can give you more info. 

How do I know if there will be a planned outage in my area? 

Depending on your area you’ll get a notice of a planned outage from us or your network company directly. You will get at least: 

• 4 business days’ notice for electricity, and
• 5 business days’ notice for natural gas. 

Areas where the network company sends planned outage communications: 

• Invercargill 
• Timaru & South Canterbury 
• Far North 
• North Shore 
• Central Auckland 
• Northland 
• Southern Hawkes Bay 
• Horowhenua & Kapiti 
• Counties and Pukekohe 
• Nelson City 
• North Otago 

Areas where Contact sends planned outage communications: 

• Dunedin, Central Otago 
• Southland 
• Christchurch 
• North Canterbury 
• Hawkes Bay, Central Hawkes Bay, Rotorua, Taupo 
• Ashburton & Mid Canterbury 
• Wellington, Hutt Valley & Porirua 
• Taranaki, Tauranga & Wanganui, Wairarapa, Manawatu, Thames Valley 
• Hamilton & Waikato 
• Bay of Plenty 
• Buller 
• Tasman 
• Eastland and Wairoa 
• Otago 
• Cambridge & Waipa 
• Waitomo & King Country 
• West Coast South Island 
• Marlborough 

How long will the planned outage last? 

This will depend on the work the network company are doing and how long it will take them. Refer to the communication you received (email, text or letter) about the outage for the estimated time. 

Please note that this is an estimate only. We can’t guarantee that power will be restored in the time frame provided by the network. 

Planned outages will also have an alternate date for the outage listed if work is unable to go ahead for some reason (for example, bad weather). 

Can I change the date of the outage? 

Before scheduling an outage the network company take into account: 

• the priority of the work to be carried out 
• their own availability 
• the likely power usage at the time of the planned outage 

Generally, it is not possible to change the planned outage date as there are a lot of moving parts when planning this important work. 

Why are planned outages necessary? 

Maintaining the lines to your property is the responsibility of your local network company to make sure you get a constant supply with no interruptions. Some types of maintenance can be done while the power is still on but in other cases, it needs to be turned off to keep workers safe. Power will be restored as soon it’s safe to do so while also making sure it doesn't stay off for any longer than it needs to.