By Fallen line, sparks or smoke
Stay back at least 8 metres and call 111 first. After an eastern bay storm a conductor can be hidden in flood water, slips or fallen orchard shelter, and may be hard to see, so keep clear and treat every loose line as live.
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.
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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 Bay of Plenty: three lines companies
Which lines company covers your town
The bay is divided between three networks: Powerco in the west, Horizon Networks in the east and Unison in Rotorua. Match your town to the right card below, then call that 24/7 fault line if the community map shows the outage is on the network.
P
Powerco
Western Bay of Plenty
24/7 faults line for Tauranga and the western bay.
Coverage: Tauranga, Mount Maunganui, Papamoa, Katikati, Te Puke, Omokoroa and the western bay orchards.
Horizon Networks
Eastern Bay of Plenty
Dial 0800 HORIZON. 24/7 faults line.
Coverage: Whakatane, Opotiki, Kawerau, Edgecumbe, Ohope, Te Teko and the eastern bay.
U
Unison
Rotorua and the lakes
24/7 faults line for Rotorua city and the surrounding lakes district.
Coverage: Rotorua, Ngongotaha, Mamaku, the eastern lakes and the surrounding rural network.
Why the Bay of Plenty loses power
Three things that knock out Bay of Plenty supply
The bay mixes a fast-growing Tauranga grid, a storm-prone eastern coast and a geothermal lakes district. The patterns below shape both why the power goes off and how long each network takes to bring it back.
Eastern bay storms and flooding
Whakatane, Opotiki, Edgecumbe: the eastern bay floods after heavy rain and takes the brunt of east-coast storms. Slips and flooding can bring down multiple Horizon lines at once and make access to rural feeders slow.
Orchard feeders in the west
Katikati, Te Puke, the western bay: long overhead lines run through kiwifruit and avocado orchards. Tall shelterbelts and wind events bring branches across the conductors on the Powerco network, a common cause of rural cuts.
Fast growth around Tauranga
Papamoa, Mount Maunganui, Tauranga fringe: one of the fastest-growing areas in the country puts heavy demand on the western bay grid. Most cuts here are short urban faults, but planned work to expand capacity is frequent.
Bay of Plenty tip
Because three networks share the bay, confirm yours before you call. The western bay around Tauranga is Powerco on 0800 27 27 27; the eastern bay around Whakatane is Horizon Networks on 0800 467 496 (0800 HORIZON); and Rotorua is Unison on 0800 286 476.
Bay of Plenty damage claims
Fried fridge or heat pump? How to claim after a Bay of Plenty outage
None of the three bay networks runs a single household appliance-claims channel, and most outages here are weather-driven, which networks generally exclude from a direct claim. That makes your contents insurance, backed by a written request to your retailer, the realistic path after a surge or spoilage loss.
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1
Call your network for the incident number and recorded cause: Powerco in the western bay, Horizon Networks in the eastern bay, or Unison in Rotorua;
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2
Photograph the damaged appliance, note its model and age, and find the original receipt if you can;
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3
Lodge surge damage and spoiled food with your contents insurer, where most policies carry a spoiled-food sub-limit and surge cover;
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4
Send a written request to your retailer with the incident number and a registered electrician's report if you believe the fault was network equipment rather than weather.
Bay of Plenty rule of thumb
Whichever network you are on, a claim that includes the incident number, a registered electrician's report and the original purchase receipt succeeds far more often than photos alone. Allow 4 to 8 weeks, and appliances under 5 years fare best. Storm and flood events are usually deemed weather, so contents insurance is the stronger route after the big eastern bay blows.
By town
More Bay of Plenty outage guides
Tauranga
Powerco outages and fault line for the western bay.
Katikati
Powerco outages for the western bay orchards.
Te Puke
Powerco outages for the kiwifruit capital.
Whakatane
Horizon Networks outages for the eastern bay.
Opotiki
Horizon Networks outages for the remote east.
Rotorua
Unison outages and fault line for the lakes city.
Taupo and Turangi
Unison and The Lines Company outages for the central plateau.
Power outages in a neighbouring region: Waikato or every New Zealand region.
Bay of Plenty questions
Frequently asked questions: Bay of Plenty power outages
It depends on your town. The western bay around Tauranga, Katikati and Te Puke is Powerco, 24/7 on 0800 27 27 27. The eastern bay around Whakatane, Opotiki and Kawerau is Horizon Networks on 0800 467 496 (0800 HORIZON). Rotorua is Unison on 0800 286 476. For a hazard, dial 111 first.
No. Tauranga and the western bay sit on Powerco, while Whakatane and the eastern bay sit on Horizon Networks. They are separate lines companies with separate 24/7 fault lines and separate outage maps, so confirm which one covers your street before you call.
Check the live outage map for your network: Powerco for the western bay, Horizon Networks for the eastern bay, or Unison for Rotorua. The community map higher up this page also shows real-time reports from Selectra readers near you. If your street is dark and nothing is mapped on your network, call that fault line so a crew can be sent.
Rotorua sits on Unison, the same network that covers Hawke's Bay and Taupo town, 24/7 on 0800 286 476. Unison runs the poles and wires across Rotorua city, Ngongotaha, Mamaku and the surrounding lakes district.
A single fault on an urban Tauranga or Rotorua feeder is often back inside 1 to 2 hours. Rural orchard feeders in the west and storm-hit feeders in the eastern bay can run longer, and a major flood or storm event can push the worst-affected properties to half a day or more while crews work through multiple faults.
None of the three bay networks runs a single household appliance-claims channel, and most outages here are weather-driven and excluded from a direct network claim. Your realistic path is your contents insurance for surge and spoilage losses, plus a written request to your retailer. Keep the incident number, photos, the original receipt and a registered electrician's report to support it.