By Fallen line or hazard
Stay back at least 8 metres, keep clear of standing water near a downed line, and call 111 first. Rolleston's newer streets are largely underground, so a cable exposed by digging deserves the same caution as any overhead line.
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.
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.
O
Orion
Rolleston and the Selwyn district
24/7 faults line. The same number runs Christchurch city and Selwyn, so the operator can route your Rolleston, Lincoln or Prebbleton fault to the right depot.
Coverage: Rolleston, Lincoln, Prebbleton, West Melton, Tai Tapu, Springston, Burnham, Weedons, Templeton, Darfield, Kirwee, Leeston, Southbridge, Springfield.
Selwyn network signatures
What drives Rolleston and Selwyn outages
The fastest-growing town in the country, ringed by plains farmland, has a distinctive outage profile. Three patterns dominate the Selwyn register.
Construction strikes
New Rolleston and Lincoln subdivisions: with thousands of new homes a year, contractor digging that clips a buried cable is the single most common cause of short, localised town outages here. They are usually fixed quickly once the crew isolates the damaged section.
Plains nor'wester
Darfield, Kirwee and the rural west: the nor'wester rolling off the Alps drives wind and tree fall on the longer overhead feeders out across the Selwyn plains, well away from the underground town centres.
Planned reinforcement
A network expanding this fast needs constant upgrades. Many Rolleston "outages" are in fact planned switching as Orion adds substation capacity to keep up with the new housing. These are notified in advance on the outage map.
A Selwyn tip
Because so much of Rolleston is new build, a surprising share of cuts here are planned works rather than faults. Before you call, check the "Planned" layer on the Orion outage map: if your street is listed, the timing and expected restoration are already published, and there is nothing to report.
Orion damage claim: Rolleston and Selwyn
Orion runs a published claim process, and construction-strike claims, where a contractor caused the fault, are often clearer to attribute than weather events. Here is the path Selwyn households follow.
- 1Call 0800 363 9898 and request the incident number. Note the time, the duration and any visible cause such as a cable strike or transformer fault.
- 2Submit the claim form on oriongroup.co.nz or email [email protected] within 30 days.
- 3Include receipts, photos and a registered electrician's report. Orion reimburses the electrician's fee, typically NZ$80 to NZ$150, when the claim is upheld.
- 4Decision in 3 to 5 weeks. Cable strikes and transformer failures have the highest success rate. Nor'wester and storm events are usually deemed weather, not negligence.
Rolleston questions
Frequently asked questions: Rolleston outages
Orion, 24 hours a day, on 0800 363 9898. The same number covers Lincoln, Prebbleton, West Melton, Darfield and the rest of the Selwyn district, as well as Christchurch city. For a hazard such as a downed line, dial 111 first.
Yes. Rolleston, Lincoln, Prebbleton and the wider Selwyn district are all on the Orion network, the same lines company that runs Christchurch city. One fault line, 0800 363 9898, covers the lot. Note that the neighbouring Waimakariri district, including Rangiora, is on MainPower instead.
Rolleston is the fastest-growing town in New Zealand, so Orion is continually upgrading substations and feeders to keep up with new housing. A lot of those works require short, scheduled power cuts, which is why your street may appear under the "Planned" layer of the outage map rather than as an unplanned fault.
A single fault in central Rolleston, Lincoln or Prebbleton: typically 30 to 90 minutes, often less when a construction strike is quickly isolated. Rural Selwyn spurs out to Darfield, Kirwee or Leeston during a nor'wester: 1 to 4 hours. Planned works run to their published window.
Yes, by letter or email at least 5 working days before the work, and the same outages are listed under "Planned" on the live map. If you have a medically-dependent customer in the household, register with your retailer so Orion can give proactive notice and confirm contingencies.
Yes, if the surge came from the network and Orion is shown to have been negligent, for example faulty equipment or a contractor cable strike. Send a claim to [email protected] within 30 days, with the incident number, photos, the original receipt and a registered electrician's report. Storm and nor'wester events are usually excluded.
Nearby outage guides
Power outages across Canterbury
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 Canterbury.
See the regional hub: Canterbury power outages, or browse every New Zealand region.