By Fallen line, sparks or smoke
Stay back 8 metres minimum, keep children and pets clear, and call 111 before anyone else. The Fire and Emergency NZ team isolates the area, then the lines company is dispatched.
Power outage Auckland: two lines companies
Vector power outage and Counties Energy 24/7 fault numbers
Where you live in Auckland decides who you call for a power outage. The boundary cuts across Papakura, with Vector north of it and Counties Energy south. The same numbers apply whether you searched vector power outage today, power outage west auckland today update or auckland power outage.
Vector
Auckland (most of the city)
Or dial 0508 VECTOR. Available 24/7.
Coverage: Central Auckland, North Shore, West Auckland, East Auckland, Manukau, Hibiscus Coast, Warkworth area.
Counties Energy
Franklin, Papakura, south Auckland
24/7 faults line.
Coverage: Pukekohe, Waiuku, Tuakau, Pokeno, Bombay, Clarks Beach, Patumahoe, parts of Papakura.
Help your neighbours
Live community map & report a power cut
If neighbours are also without power, the fault is on the network, not your switchboard. The map below shows outages reported by other Selectra readers across New Zealand in real time. Use it as a first diagnostic before you call: if an active outage is already plotted near you, crews likely know about it. A short anonymous report helps others see what is happening in your suburb. It does not replace the call to your lines company.
Immediate danger
Fallen power line, sparks, burning smell or smoke? Call 111 before reporting anything else. Stay back at least 8 metres from any downed line.
Unable to load outage data. Please try again later.
Report a power cut
Thanks: your report is recorded
Now make the official call to your lines company so a crew is dispatched. For a fallen line or any hazard, dial 111 first.
Power outage Auckland today map: hotspots
Where Auckland loses power most: West Auckland, East Auckland and rural Franklin
Vector publishes annual reliability stats by feeder, plus a live power outage Auckland today map at outages.vector.co.nz. Three Auckland patterns repeat every year and shape how long restoration takes in your suburb.
West Auckland trees
Titirangi, Henderson Valley, Swanson, Waiatarua: overhead lines run through bush and tall kauri. Wind events bring branches across conductors. Restoration is slow because access is on foot, not by truck.
Coastal east, salt spray
Mission Bay, Kohimarama, Howick, Beachlands, Whangaparaoa: salt corrodes overhead insulators and switchgear. Reliability dips after dry summers because corrosion concentrates before the next big rain washes lines clean.
Rural Franklin storms
Bombay, Mauku, Aka Aka, Waiuku rural blocks: long overhead spurs serve small numbers of homes. A single fault can leave 50 properties dark for half a day because crews chase higher-density faults first.
Auckland-specific tip
If you live in Albany, Long Bay or any of the north-of-bridge feeders, Vector now publishes estimated time of restoration on its outage map. The accuracy is far better than the old "we will be in touch" line: trust the ETA shown, and only call back if it slips past by more than 2 hours.
Auckland damage claims
Fried fridge or modem? How to claim from Vector or Counties Energy
Both Auckland lines companies accept appliance damage claims, but the process and the threshold for success are subtly different.
Vector damage claim
- · Submit via vector.co.nz/claims within 30 days of the event.
- · Photo of damaged appliance, model, age, original receipt if available.
- · Registered electrician's report linking failure to the network event (Vector reimburses up to ~$120 for this report if the claim succeeds).
- · Decision in 20 to 40 working days.
Success rate: best for transformer-failure events and switching faults. Worst for storm-driven outages (excluded as force majeure).
Counties Energy damage claim
- · Email [email protected] within 30 days.
- · Include outage incident number from the 24/7 fault line.
- · Electrician's report and appliance receipts.
- · Decision in 4 to 6 weeks.
Smaller territory means faster turnaround than Vector. Rural Franklin claims tend to succeed when the cause is equipment, not weather.
Auckland rule of thumb
A claim that includes the incident number, registered electrician's report and original purchase receipt succeeds 3 to 4 times more often than a claim with just photos. The administrative cost is one hour: the average paid-out value sits between NZ$200 and NZ$1,200 for a domestic fridge or heat pump.
What to do during an Auckland outage
Check streetlights
Streetlights off means a network fault. Streetlights on with your house dark means your switchboard, not Vector.
Open Vector outage map
outages.vector.co.nz updates every 10 minutes. Your address either appears or it does not.
Call the fault line
Even if mapped: ask for the incident number. You need it for any later claim.
Unplug heat pump and TV
Surges on restoration kill more appliances than the outage itself.
Apartment dwellers in the CBD, Britomart, Wynyard
If a high-rise loses power, the main switchboard is usually in a basement plant room: the building manager has the access, not Vector. Ring property management first. Vector will only restore the supply to the building's main intake, not floor-by-floor.
Auckland-specific questions
Frequently asked questions: Auckland power outages
Vector at 0508 832 867 (or 0508 VECTOR). Available 24/7. Vector covers the CBD, North Shore, West Auckland, East Auckland, Manukau and the Hibiscus Coast. For a fallen line or hazard, call 111 first.
Counties Energy. Pukekohe, Waiuku, Tuakau, Pokeno and surrounding Franklin are all on the Counties network. Their 24/7 fault number is 0800 100 202. Papakura is split: most of the suburb is Vector, with the southern fringe on Counties: check by suburb on either lines company's online map.
For a single fault on an urban feeder: 45 to 90 minutes from notification to restoration. For storm-wide events: anywhere from 4 hours to 2 days in the worst-affected suburbs. Vector prioritises hospitals (Auckland City, North Shore, Middlemore, Waitakere), water pumping stations, telecom hubs and high-density apartment blocks. Rural West Auckland and Franklin spurs wait longest.
Storm-driven outages are usually excluded as force majeure, so a direct damage claim against the lines company is unlikely to succeed. Your better path is your contents insurance: most Auckland policies cover spoiled food (often a $200 to $500 sub-limit) and surge-damaged appliances. Check your policy wording for "power surge" and "spoiled food" cover.
Yes. Vector is required to give at least 5 working days notice for planned maintenance, by letter or email to the property. Vector also publishes upcoming planned outages on the same outage map (filtered to "Planned"). If you missed the letter, the map is the next best source. For medically-dependent customers, you can register for proactive phone notifications.
No, only retailer-by-retailer goodwill credits. Electric Kiwi and Octopus have published outage credit policies (typically NZ$10 to NZ$50 for events over 12 hours). Mercury, Contact, Genesis and Meridian handle requests case by case: a polite email with the incident number and outage duration is the quickest way to get a credit applied.