By Hazard or fallen line
Stay back at least 8 metres, especially in coastal suburbs where salt-soaked debris near a line can be highly conductive. Dial 111 first.
Powerco
Tauranga and the western Bay of Plenty
National Powerco faults line, 24/7. Tauranga calls are routed to the Bay of Plenty control desk in Tauranga itself.
Coverage: Tauranga City, Mount Maunganui, Papamoa, Bethlehem, Greerton, Welcome Bay, Pyes Pa, Te Puke, Katikati, Omokoroa, Waihi Beach.
Eastern Bay of Plenty (Whakatane, Opotiki, Kawerau): Horizon Energy on 0800 22 33 27.
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 Mount Maunganui, Papamoa, Katikati
Tauranga power outage patterns: Mount Maunganui salt, Papamoa cyclones, Katikati storms
Three things make the Bay of Plenty network distinctive: salt, cyclones from the north, and the speed of suburban growth in Papamoa and Pyes Pa.
Salt spray on insulators
Mount Maunganui, Omanu, Arataki, Papamoa beachfront: overhead insulators close to the coast accumulate salt during dry summer spells. The first heavy rain after a dry stretch can cause flashovers and brief, repeated outages.
Ex-tropical cyclones
Cyclone Gabrielle (2023) hit Tauranga with sustained 100+ km/h gusts. Coastal feeders survived; inland Pyes Pa and Welcome Bay overhead lines saw multi-day outages. Powerco has since reinforced the inland feeders, but the pattern repeats every cyclone season.
Growth-area construction
Papamoa East, Tauriko and Pyes Pa are growing fast. Underground cable strikes by contractors are a common, avoidable cause of localised outages. Powerco's "Before You Dig" call-before-you-dig service is free and prevents most of them.
Practical Tauranga tip
If you live in Papamoa East or Welcome Bay, your home almost certainly sits on a long overhead feeder. A whole-house surge protector at the switchboard (NZ$200 to NZ$400 installed by a registered electrician) pays for itself the first time a cyclone or a switching event punches a voltage spike through the network.
Powerco damage claim: process and timelines
Powerco operates one of the most digital damage-claim portals in New Zealand, which speeds Tauranga claims through faster than the older paper-based processes elsewhere.
- 1Call 0800 27 27 27 and ask for the incident reference. Lodge a placeholder claim verbally.
- 2Complete the online damage claim form at powerco.co.nz within 30 days.
- 3Upload electrician's report (Powerco accepts PDFs and JPEGs), receipts and photos. Storm-driven outages are typically rejected as force majeure.
- 4Decision in 4 to 8 weeks. Inland Tauranga (non-coastal) claims involving transformer failures have the highest approval rate.
Tauranga-specific questions
Frequently asked questions: Tauranga outages
Powerco, on 0800 27 27 27, 24/7. Same number for Mount Maunganui, Papamoa, Te Puke and Katikati. For Whakatane, Opotiki or Kawerau (eastern Bay), call Horizon Energy on 0800 22 33 27.
Salt accumulates on overhead insulators during dry stretches. The first heavy rain after a dry spell creates a conductive film, causing flashovers and brief protective trips. Mount Maunganui, Omanu, Arataki and Papamoa beachfront see this pattern most. Powerco runs an active insulator-washing programme but cannot fully eliminate the issue: a whole-house surge protector at the switchboard is the best private mitigation.
Single urban fault: 40 to 90 minutes. Coastal salt-driven flashover: 15 to 45 minutes. Cyclone-driven outage in inland Pyes Pa or Welcome Bay: 6 to 36 hours, occasionally longer if access roads are blocked. Powerco prioritises Bay hospitals (Tauranga and Whakatane), water and telecom infrastructure first.
Yes, but less severely than further north. Coastal feeders held; inland Pyes Pa, Welcome Bay and Te Puke suffered tree fall on overhead lines and multi-day outages. Powerco's post-Gabrielle reinforcement programme added new sectionalisers and replaced ageing conductors on the worst-affected feeders. The next major event is expected to restore faster.
Retailer goodwill credits are case by case. Electric Kiwi and Octopus have published outage credit policies. Mercury, Contact and Genesis respond to written requests with the incident number and duration. After Gabrielle, all major retailers extended hardship support to Bay of Plenty households: keep documentation in case of recurring events.