Fallen line or hazard

Stay back 8 metres minimum and call 111 first. After a westerly gale, treat every visible line on the ground as live.

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Powerco

Palmerston North, Feilding and rural Manawatu

~37k connections in Manawatu
0800 27 27 27

National Powerco faults line, 24/7.

Coverage: Palmerston North City, Roslyn, Hokowhitu, Awapuni, Highbury, Milson, Kelvin Grove, Feilding, Ashhurst, Bunnythorpe, Linton, Longburn.

Open Powerco live outage map See full Powerco guide

Kapiti, Otaki, Levin (Horowhenua): Electra on 0800 363 8728. Tararua District (Dannevirke, Pahiatua, Woodville): Scanpower on 06 374 7300.

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.

Live power outages in New Zealand
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Source: user reports · Selectra

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.

Before you submit

Have you called your lines company first? They are the only party that can dispatch a crew. This form is a community signal that helps neighbours, not an emergency channel. For a fallen line or any hazard, call 111 immediately.

Anonymous submission

The Manawatu wind angle

Why westerly gales explain most Palmy outages

The Manawatu Gorge funnels winds from the west, accelerating them as they hit the city. The same geography that powers the Tararua and Te Apiti wind farms is what stresses the overhead network.

Westerly gales

Ashhurst, Aokautere, Roslyn, Hokowhitu: the city's eastern fringe sees the strongest gusts as the gorge wind hits open ground. Conductor clashing and tree-fall faults concentrate here.

Rural Manawatu spurs

Halcombe, Sanson, Cheltenham, Kimbolton: long overhead feeders serving low-density customers. Single faults can leave dozens of homes dark for several hours because crews chase higher-density urban issues first.

Lightning over the ranges

Summer afternoon thunderstorms over the Tararuas push storm cells across the city. Strikes on conductors near Linton, Longburn and rural Aokautere trigger brief trips, typically lasting 15 to 45 minutes.

Powerco damage claim, Manawatu

The same online portal serves all Powerco regions. Manawatu claims are usually decided in 4 to 6 weeks.

  1. 1Call 0800 27 27 27 for the incident reference.
  2. 2Lodge the online claim at powerco.co.nz within 30 days.
  3. 3Attach electrician's report, receipts, photos. Westerly-gale outages may be deemed weather: framing the claim around equipment failure rather than wind improves your odds.

Manawatu questions

Frequently asked questions: Palmerston North outages

Powerco, on 0800 27 27 27, 24/7. Same number for Feilding, Ashhurst, and the rural Manawatu. For Kapiti or Levin, call Electra on 0800 363 8728. For Dannevirke or Pahiatua, call Scanpower on 06 374 7300.

The Manawatu Gorge funnels westerlies straight across the city, with gusts that often top 100 km/h. Overhead conductors swing, branches blow into lines, and the protection systems trip to prevent damage. Aokautere, Ashhurst and the eastern fringe see the strongest gusts and the highest outage frequency.

Single urban fault: 45 to 90 minutes. Rural Manawatu spur: 1 to 4 hours. Major westerly event: 4 to 12 hours, occasionally longer for the most remote feeders. Powerco prioritises Palmerston North Hospital, the university, and high-density urban feeders first.

Westerly gales are usually classified as force majeure, which weakens a direct damage claim. The exception is when network equipment failed (a transformer surge, a switching transient) rather than the wind itself. Frame the claim around the specific equipment event, supported by a registered electrician's report, and outcomes improve. For pure-weather events, your contents insurance is the more reliable channel.

Yes. Powerco gives at least 5 working days notice for planned maintenance, by letter or email. The same outages appear on the live outage map under "Planned". If you have a medically-dependent person at the address, your retailer can flag the meter for proactive notification.