By Fallen line, sparks or smoke
Stay back at least 8 metres, keep children and pets clear, and call 111 first. Otago's long high-country feeders can drop a line during a snow load or hoar frost, so treat any conductor on the ground 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 Otago: three lines companies
Which lines company covers your town
Otago splits into three network territories. Match your area to the right card below: the 24/7 fault line and the live outage map differ for each one. The rural OtagoNet network is operated by PowerNet, which runs a single System Control line for the area.
AE
Aurora Energy
Dunedin, Central Otago and Queenstown Lakes
24/7 faults line across the Aurora network.
Coverage: Dunedin, Mosgiel, Cromwell, Alexandra, Clyde, Wanaka, Queenstown, Arrowtown, Frankton.
P(
PowerNet (OtagoNet)
Rural South, East and North Otago
PowerNet's single 24/7 System Control line runs the OtagoNet rural network.
Coverage: Balclutha, Milton, Lawrence, Palmerston, Middlemarch, Ranfurly, Roxburgh, rural Clutha and Maniototo.
Network Waitaki
Oamaru and the Waitaki valley
24/7 faults line for the Waitaki district.
Coverage: Oamaru, Weston, Kakanui, Hampden, Palmerston fringe, Kurow, Omarama, Otematata.
What drives Otago outages
Frost, snow and a coast-to-mountain spread
Otago runs from a temperate coast to a continental high country, and the outage drivers shift with the geography. The three patterns below explain which part of the region loses power and why restoration times vary so much.
Central Otago frost
Alexandra, Clyde, Cromwell, the Maniototo: hard winter frosts and hoar build-up on conductors, plus heavy snow over passes, drive the Central Otago outage season. Aurora and OtagoNet feeders here cross long, sparsely populated runs.
Tourism peak demand
Queenstown, Wanaka, Arrowtown: Aurora's Queenstown Lakes network swings between a small resident base and huge seasonal peaks. Demand spikes over winter ski season and summer holidays put the most stress on the high-country feeders.
Rural and coastal feeders
Clutha, Maniototo, Waitaki valley: the OtagoNet and Network Waitaki rural lines run long distances to scattered farms. A single equipment fault or wind event can darken a township and take a crew time to reach across the valley.
Otago-specific tip
If you sit in Dunedin city, Aurora publishes an estimated time of restoration on its outage page for most urban faults. In rural OtagoNet or Waitaki areas, treat the first ETA as a working estimate only: high-country crews often need to patrol the whole feeder to find the fault, so allow extra time before calling back.
Fried fridge or heat pump? Claiming after an Otago outage
None of the three Otago networks runs a standing appliance-damage claim form. Surge damage normally goes through your contents insurance, supported by a written request to your retailer.
- 1Call your lines company's 24/7 fault line and request the incident number. Note the time, the duration and any visible cause.
- 2Lodge a claim with your contents insurance, attaching photos of the damaged appliance, the model and age, and an original receipt if you have one.
- 3Send your retailer a short written request quoting the incident number and outage duration. They cannot pay a network claim, but it documents the event and may trigger a goodwill credit.
- 4Allow 4 to 8 weeks. A registered electrician's report linking the failure to a network event strengthens any claim. Appliances under 5 years old with a receipt fare best.
More Otago outage guides
Drill down to your area for the local fault line, hotspots and restoration patterns.
Dunedin
Aurora Energy, the Otago coastal city.
Queenstown
Aurora, the resort town and Frankton.
Central Otago
Aurora, Cromwell, Alexandra and Clyde.
Queenstown Lakes
Aurora, Wanaka, Arrowtown and Frankton.
Oamaru
Network Waitaki, North Otago and Waitaki.
Power outages in a neighbouring region: Southland, Canterbury or every New Zealand region.
Otago region questions
Frequently asked questions: Otago power outages
It depends on your area. Aurora Energy covers Dunedin, Central Otago and Queenstown Lakes on 0800 22 00 05. The rural OtagoNet network, operated by PowerNet, uses 0800 808 587. Network Waitaki covers Oamaru and the Waitaki valley on 0800 440 220. For a hazard, dial 111 first.
Aurora Energy owns the lines across Dunedin, Mosgiel and the surrounding coast, as well as Central Otago and the Queenstown Lakes district. The single 24/7 fault number for the whole Aurora network is 0800 22 00 05.
OtagoNet is the rural lines network covering South, East and North Otago, including Balclutha, Milton, Lawrence, Palmerston, Middlemarch and the Maniototo. It is operated by PowerNet, whose single System Control line is 0800 808 587. The same PowerNet line also covers Southland networks, so always give your exact address.
Central Otago has a continental climate with hard frosts, hoar build-up on conductors and heavy snow over the passes. The Aurora and OtagoNet feeders here run long distances across sparsely populated country, so when a fault occurs a crew may have to patrol the whole line to find it. Urban Dunedin restores far faster than the inland high-country feeders.
None of the three Otago networks runs a standing damage-claim form, so surge damage normally goes through your contents insurance. Call your lines company for the incident number, then lodge with your insurer, attaching photos, the appliance age and a receipt. A registered electrician's report linking the failure to a network event strengthens the claim. Allow 4 to 8 weeks.
Yes. Aurora Energy, PowerNet and Network Waitaki all give at least 5 working days notice of planned maintenance by letter or email, and list upcoming planned outages on their outage pages. If you depend on medical equipment, register with your retailer so the lines company can give proactive notice.