By Fallen line or hazard
Stay back at least 8 metres, keep clear of any standing water near a downed line, and call 111 first. After a Fiordland storm, a tree on the line along the Te Anau to Manapouri road can leave the conductor energised on the ground, so treat any downed line 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 town. 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. The Te Anau and Manapouri network is owned by The Power Company and operated by PowerNet, so the one number below reaches the System Control room that dispatches crews.
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PowerNet
Te Anau and Manapouri, The Power Company network
24/7 System Control line. The Te Anau and Manapouri network is owned by The Power Company and operated by PowerNet, so this one number reaches the crew dispatch room.
Coverage: Te Anau, Te Anau Downs, Manapouri, the Te Anau to Manapouri road and the surrounding Fiordland gateway settlements.
The Fiordland gateway network
What makes a Te Anau outage different
Te Anau is one of the most remote towns on a mains network in the South Island, and the way it is supplied shapes both how outages start and how widely they are felt. Three local factors stand out.
Single-feeder remoteness
Te Anau is fed by long rural lines from the east with limited alternative routing. When a fault hits the supply into town, there are fewer ways to back-feed around it than in a city, so a single event can take out a wider area at once.
Fiordland weather
The western edge of Southland is among the wettest, windiest parts of the country. Heavy rain, strong westerlies and tree fall along the bush-lined road corridors are the most common causes of outages on the lines into Te Anau and Manapouri.
Tourism-town impact
As the gateway to the Milford and Kepler tracks, Te Anau's economy is motels, lodges, eateries and visitor services. An outage in town affects accommodation, eftpos and bookings at once, so the effects of even a short cut are felt more widely than in a residential town.
Manapouri power station versus the local lines
The large Manapouri power station nearby is a generator that feeds the national grid via Transpower's high-voltage transmission, mostly to the Tiwai Point smelter and the wider South Island. It is not what supplies your house. Your home is connected to the local lines network owned by The Power Company and operated by PowerNet, so a local outage is a lines-network fault on 0800 808 587, separate from anything happening at the station.
Surge damage after a Te Anau outage: how to claim
The Power Company and PowerNet do not publish a dedicated household damage-claim portal for Te Anau, so the realistic path for an appliance damaged by a power surge runs through your own insurance and your retailer. Keep it factual and documented.
- 1Call 0800 808 587 and ask for the incident reference, the fault start time and any known cause (tree on line, conductor clash, transformer fault).
- 2Lodge a contents insurance claim for the surge-damaged appliance, with photos, the original receipt and a registered electrician's report.
- 3Send a short written request to your electricity retailer as well, quoting the incident reference, so they can pass it to the network if negligence is suspected.
- 4Expect 4 to 8 weeks. Appliances under 5 years old with proof of purchase fare best. Storm-driven Fiordland outages are usually deemed weather rather than negligence.
Te Anau questions
Frequently asked questions: Te Anau outages
The 24/7 System Control line on 0800 808 587. The Te Anau and Manapouri network is owned by The Power Company and operated by PowerNet, and that one number reaches the crew dispatch room. For a hazard such as a fallen line, dial 111 first.
No, not directly. The Manapouri power station is a large generator feeding the national grid through Transpower's transmission system. Your home is connected to the local lines network owned by The Power Company and operated by PowerNet. A power cut at your house is a local lines fault, reported on 0800 808 587, and is separate from the generation side at the station.
Te Anau is remote and fed by long rural lines with limited alternative routing. When a fault hits the supply into town, there are fewer ways to back-feed around it than in a city, so a single event can affect a wide area. Because the town runs on tourism, that also means motels, eateries and visitor services can all be hit together.
Check the live community map above for outages reported nearby, then confirm against the official PowerNet current and planned outages map, which lists active and scheduled outages by area. If neighbours are also off supply, the fault is on the network and crews are likely already aware.
A single fault inside Te Anau or Manapouri town: 1 to 2 hours. A fault out on the rural lines into the area: 2 to 6 hours, longer after a Fiordland storm when crews travel a long way to reach the fault and work in difficult weather. Remoteness is the main reason restoration can take longer than in a city.
The practical route is your own contents insurance, supported by a written request to your electricity retailer quoting the incident reference. The Power Company and PowerNet do not publish a household claims portal for Te Anau. Keep photos, the receipt and a registered electrician's report. Appliances under 5 years old fare best, and decisions typically take 4 to 8 weeks. Storm damage is usually treated as weather, not negligence.
Nearby outage guides
Power outages across Southland
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 Southland.
See the regional hub: Southland power outages, or browse every New Zealand region.