By Fallen line, sparks or smoke
Stay back at least 8 metres, keep clear of standing water near a downed line, and call 111 first. After a Far North storm, fallen branches can hide a live conductor on a rural road verge, so treat every drooping line near Kaitaia as live.
Help your neighbours
Live community map & report a power cut
If neighbours along your rural feeder 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 part of the Far North. It does not replace the call to Top Energy.
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.
Who fixes the fault
Your lines company and its 24/7 fault line
Only the lines company that owns the poles and wires in your street can dispatch a crew. Call the number below if your report shows the outage is on the network.
TE
Top Energy
The Far North, one lines company
24/7 faults line. Top Energy covers the whole Far North district, so the same number works whether you are in Kaitaia, on the Aupouri Peninsula or in the Hokianga.
Coverage: Kaitaia, Ahipara, Awanui, Kaimaumau, Mangonui, Coopers Beach, Taipa, Cable Bay, Pukenui, Houhora, Te Kao, Hokianga settlements and the wider Far North.
Why the Far North loses power
The geography behind a Far North outage
Reliability here is a function of distance and weather. The Far North is the longest, thinnest distribution territory in New Zealand, and the same storms that batter the coast also bring down the trees that feed the lines.
Long rural feeders
Power often travels a long way overhead to reach Kaitaia and the peninsula settlements. The more kilometres of line, the more poles, spans and trees that can fault, which is why a single break can affect a wide spread of properties.
First in the storm's path
Ex-tropical cyclones and northern lows reach the Far North before the rest of the country. High wind, salt-laden gusts off the Tasman and saturated ground combine to bring down trees onto the network during the worst of these systems.
Plan for longer outages
Because crews can have a long drive to a remote fault, a Far North outage can run longer than a city one. A torch, a charged power bank, drinking water and a battery radio make a real difference when restoration takes hours.
Far North tip
If you rely on a bore pump or tank pump for water, fill some containers before a forecast storm reaches Kaitaia. When the power goes the pump stops, so a little stored water keeps the household going while Top Energy works the line.
Appliance damage after a Far North outage: what to do
Top Energy does not publish a consumer damage-claim portal, so a surge that kills an appliance in Kaitaia is handled the standard New Zealand way: through your own contents insurance, with a written request to your retailer.
- 1Call 0800 867 363 and ask Top Energy for the outage reference. Note the date, the time and how long you were off.
- 2Photograph the damaged appliance, keep any receipts you can find, and ask a registered electrician to confirm in writing that a surge or interruption caused the fault.
- 3Lodge a claim with your contents insurer and, in parallel, send a written request to your electricity retailer describing the network fault.
- 4Allow 4 to 8 weeks for a response. Appliances under 5 years old with proof of purchase fare best. Pure storm or cyclone damage is usually treated as weather rather than negligence.
Far North-specific questions
Frequently asked questions: Far North outages
Top Energy, 24 hours a day, on 0800 867 363. The same number covers Kaitaia, the Aupouri Peninsula, the Hokianga and the rest of the Far North district. For a fallen line or any hazard, dial 111 first.
Check the live community map above for reports near you, then confirm on the Top Energy outage map, which plots active faults and planned work across the Far North. If your neighbours on the same feeder are also off, it is a network fault and Top Energy is the right number to call.
Distance. The Far North network covers a long, thin territory with overhead lines running far out to peninsula and Hokianga settlements. Crews often have to drive a long way to reach the fault, patrol the line and clear trees before they can restore power, so even a straightforward fault can take longer here than in a compact city grid.
Yes. Top Energy gives advance notice of planned maintenance, usually by letter, text or email, and lists the work on its outage map under planned outages. If someone in the household depends on mains power for medical equipment, register as a medically dependent consumer with your retailer so you receive proactive notice.
Top Energy does not run a consumer claim portal, and storm or cyclone damage is normally treated as a weather event rather than network negligence. Your realistic path is a claim through your contents insurance, supported by a registered electrician's report, plus a written notice to your retailer. Newer appliances with receipts have the best chance.
Keep torches and a battery radio handy, charge phones and power banks before a system arrives, store some drinking water if you are on a tank or bore pump, and keep the fridge and freezer shut to hold the cold. Have 0800 867 363 saved so you can report a fault even if mobile data is patchy.
Nearby outage guides
Power outages across Northland
Same storm front, different lines company. If the cut reaches a neighbouring town, here is the right 24/7 fault line and live map for the rest of Northland.
See the regional hub: Northland power outages, or browse every New Zealand region.