By Fallen line, sparks or smoke
Stay back at least 8 metres, keep children and pets clear, and call 111 first. Southland's exposed rural feeders can drop a line in a severe southerly or snow event, so treat any conductor on the ground as live. If someone is in immediate danger, 111 always comes before any other call.
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 area. 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 Southland: two networks, one fault line
Which lines company covers your town
Southland is split between two networks, but both are operated by PowerNet, so the 24/7 fault number is the same for the whole region: 0800 808 587. Use the cards below to confirm which network owns the wires in your street, then give your exact address when you call.
EI
Electricity Invercargill (PowerNet)
Invercargill city and Bluff
PowerNet's single 24/7 System Control line covers the Electricity Invercargill network.
Coverage: Invercargill city, Waikiwi, Windsor, Appleby, Otatara, Bluff.
TP
The Power Company (PowerNet)
Rural Southland, Gore and Te Anau
The same PowerNet 24/7 line covers The Power Company rural network.
Coverage: Gore, Mataura, Winton, Lumsden, Riverton, Otautau, Te Anau, Manapouri, Stewart Island.
One number for the whole region: PowerNet on 0800 808 587, 24 hours a day.
What drives Southland outages
Southerlies, snow and long rural feeders
Southland is the southernmost region in mainland New Zealand, exposed to Antarctic weather and served by some of the longest rural feeders in the country. The three patterns below shape who loses power and how long restoration takes.
Antarctic southerlies
Invercargill, Bluff, the southern coast: severe southerly fronts bring gale winds and wet snow straight off the Southern Ocean. These storms are the main cause of regional outages and can affect both networks at once.
Long rural feeders
Western Southland, Northern Southland, the Catlins: The Power Company runs lines for tens of kilometres to reach scattered farms. A single fault can darken a township, and crews need time to patrol the whole feeder to locate it.
Fiordland and the high country
Te Anau, Manapouri, the Fiordland fringe: remote feeders cross alpine terrain with heavy snow and high rainfall. Although the Manapouri power station sits nearby, the local lines network is The Power Company, and restoration here can be slower than in town.
During a major Southland storm
Severe southerly storms have caused widespread, prolonged outages in Southland in the past. During a large event, follow Civil Defence advice, check on neighbours who live alone or who depend on medical equipment, and keep an eye on the PowerNet outage map for restoration updates. If anyone is at risk, dial 111 first, then report the outage.
Fried fridge or heat pump? Claiming after a Southland outage
Neither Southland network runs a standing appliance-damage claim form. Surge damage normally goes through your contents insurance, supported by a written request to your retailer.
- 1Call PowerNet on 0800 808 587 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 the claim. Storm-driven outages are usually treated as weather; appliances under 5 years old with a receipt fare best.
More Southland outage guides
Drill down to your town for the local network detail and restoration patterns.
Invercargill
Electricity Invercargill, the city and Bluff.
Gore
The Power Company, Eastern Southland.
Te Anau
The Power Company, Fiordland gateway.
Power outages in a neighbouring region: Otago or every New Zealand region.
Southland region questions
Frequently asked questions: Southland power outages
PowerNet operates both Southland networks, so one 24/7 line covers the whole region: 0800 808 587. That number works whether you are on the Electricity Invercargill network (Invercargill city and Bluff) or The Power Company network (rural Southland, including Gore and Te Anau). For a hazard, dial 111 first.
Southland has two lines-network owners: Electricity Invercargill for the city and Bluff, and The Power Company for rural Southland. Both contract their operations, including the 24/7 fault desk, to PowerNet. That is why a single System Control line, 0800 808 587, handles outages across the entire region. Always give your exact address so the right crew is dispatched.
Both Gore and Te Anau sit on The Power Company rural network, operated by PowerNet. The fault line is 0800 808 587. Te Anau is the gateway to Fiordland: although the Manapouri power station is nearby, the local lines network is still The Power Company, not the generator.
An urban fault in Invercargill: 30 to 90 minutes in most cases. Rural Southland on long Power Company feeders: 1 to 4 hours, longer when a crew must patrol a long line to find the fault. A severe southerly or snow event affecting many feeders at once can extend restoration considerably, with the worst-hit rural areas waiting longest.
Severe southerly storms have caused widespread, prolonged outages in Southland before. During a large event, follow Civil Defence advice, check on neighbours who live alone or rely on medical equipment, keep phones charged, and monitor the PowerNet outage map for restoration updates. If anyone is in danger, call 111 first, then report the outage to PowerNet.
Neither Southland network runs a standing damage-claim form, so surge damage goes through your contents insurance. Call PowerNet for the incident number, then lodge with your insurer, attaching photos, the appliance age and a receipt. A registered electrician's report strengthens the claim. Storm-driven outages are usually treated as weather. Allow 4 to 8 weeks.