By Fallen line, sparks or smoke
Stay back at least 8 metres, keep children and pets clear, and call 111 first. The West Coast gets some of the heaviest rainfall and wind in the country, and tree fall onto lines is the most common hazard here, so treat any conductor on the ground 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 area. It does not replace the call to your lines company or retailer.
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 West Coast: two lines companies
Which lines company covers your town
The West Coast splits between two networks that report outages very differently. Westpower runs a standard 24/7 fault line and an online map. Buller Electricity does not, so for the far north of the Coast you report through your retailer.
Westpower
Greymouth, Hokitika, Reefton and Westland
24/7 faults line across the Grey and Westland districts.
Coverage: Greymouth, Hokitika, Reefton, Runanga, Cobden, Kumara, Ross, Harihari, Whataroa, Franz Josef, Fox Glacier, Haast.
Buller Electricity
Westport, Karamea and the Buller district
No public 24/7 fault line
Buller Electricity does not publish a 24/7 fault hotline or an online outage map. To report a power cut in the Buller district, contact your electricity retailer, who will pass the fault to the network. For any emergency such as a fallen line, sparks or smoke, dial 111 first.
Coverage: Westport, Karamea, Reefton fringe, Granity, Ngakawau, Mokihinui, the wider Buller district.
What drives West Coast outages
Rainfall, wind and a single road in
The West Coast is one of the wettest, most weather-exposed regions in New Zealand, and its network is strung out along a narrow coastal corridor. The three patterns below explain why outages happen and why restoration can take longer than elsewhere.
Extreme rainfall and wind
Greymouth, Hokitika, the Westland coast: the Coast records some of the heaviest rainfall in the country, and westerly fronts arrive with little shelter. Wind-driven tree fall and slips onto lines are the leading cause of outages here.
Long single feeders
Reefton, Haast, Franz Josef, Fox Glacier: long radial feeders serve small populations along the coastal corridor. A fault on the only line into a township can leave it dark until a crew travels the distance to reach the break.
Remote terrain and access
Karamea, the Buller gorge, alpine passes: slips and washouts can close the only road, slowing crews. Buller and Westpower both keep local depots, but reaching the most remote faults still takes time after a major weather event.
West Coast-specific tip
If you are on the Buller network around Westport or Karamea, save your electricity retailer's fault-reporting number in your phone now, before the next storm. With no public Buller hotline, your retailer is the fastest route to get a fault logged, and a charged phone is your lifeline when a long feeder is down.
Fried fridge or heat pump? Claiming after a West Coast outage
Neither West Coast network runs a standing appliance-damage claim form. Surge damage normally goes through your contents insurance, supported by a written request to your retailer.
- 1On the Westpower network, call 0800 768 241 and request the incident number. On the Buller network, report through your retailer and ask them to confirm the event reference.
- 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 event reference 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.
West Coast region questions
Frequently asked questions: West Coast power outages
Westpower, on 0800 768 241, 24 hours a day. The same number covers Hokitika, Reefton and the wider Grey and Westland districts. For a hazard such as a fallen line, dial 111 first.
Buller Electricity does not publish a public 24/7 fault line or an online outage map. To report a power cut around Westport or Karamea, contact your electricity retailer, who will pass the fault to the network. For any emergency, dial 111 first. It is worth saving your retailer's fault-reporting number in your phone before the next storm.
Buller Electricity is one of the smallest networks in the country, serving a sparse population around Westport and Karamea. Rather than run its own public 24/7 desk, it routes fault reporting through retailers. This is simply how the network operates: we have not invented a hotline number, because Buller does not publish one. For Greymouth, Hokitika and Reefton, Westpower does run a standard fault line on 0800 768 241.
The Coast has extreme rainfall, exposed westerly weather and a network strung along a narrow corridor with long single feeders. After a storm, tree fall, slips or washouts can damage the line and even close the only road in. Crews from the local Westpower and Buller depots respond as fast as access allows, but the most remote townships, such as Haast and Karamea, can wait longest.
Neither West Coast network runs a standing damage-claim form, so surge damage goes through your contents insurance. Get the incident or event reference (from Westpower on the Grey and Westland network, or from your retailer on the Buller network), then lodge with your insurer, attaching photos, the appliance age and a receipt. A registered electrician's report strengthens the claim. Allow 4 to 8 weeks.
Yes. Westpower gives at least 5 working days notice of planned maintenance by letter or email, and lists upcoming planned outages on its outage map. If you depend on medical equipment, register with your retailer so the lines company can give proactive notice and confirm contingencies.
Nearby outage guides
Power outages across the top of the South Island
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 the top of the South Island.
Browse every New Zealand region.
Power outages in a neighbouring region: Canterbury, Marlborough or every New Zealand region.