Power outages expected to last overnight

Published on 14 September 2025

Thousands of properties, mostly in and around Whangamatā are without power on Sunday evening after high winds overnight Saturday brought trees down on power poles and lines.

Powerco's been working to restore supply, but says people should prepare to be without power overnight Sunday.

Our Council has these messages:

• Careful with candles and gas heaters
• Do you need an extra blanket on your bed? Temperatures are expected to be about 10 degrees overnight
• Food safety: fridges will be starting to warm up. Freezers are ok if you don't open them
• The outage in the Whangamatā area is pretty extensive, but most of the CBD is being powered by the emergency generation system
• Thanks to Fire and Emergency NZ for their work this morning clearing fallen trees, they've had quite a few calls
• Thanks to Powerco for bringing in extra crews to work on the outages
• If in danger, call 111. If it's not an emergency but you need help you can call our Council's 24/7 contact line 07 868 0200.

Powerco message on safety: 

If people 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.
• Downed lines should always be treated as live.

Photo above: Power pole down north of Whangamatā