By Live 24/7 Marlborough Lines fault line
Power out in the Marlborough Lines network area?
Call Marlborough Lines on 0800 99 6111, 24 hours a day. Your retailer cannot dispatch a crew. For a fallen line, sparks or any fire risk, dial 111 first, stay at least 8 metres clear, then ring Marlborough Lines.
The live network status is at www.marlboroughlines.co.nz. Check it first, the cut may already be logged.
Marlborough Lines at a glance
The numbers behind your network bill
Connection points (ICPs)
~28,000
Marlborough region
Network conductor
~3,800 km
Wine country + sounds
24/7 fault line
0800 99 6111
Free-call
ComCom regulatory path
DPP4 2025-30
Default Price-Quality Path
Where Marlborough Lines owns the wires
Coverage: Marlborough region
| Area | Density profile | Network type |
|---|---|---|
| Blenheim + Renwick | Provincial urban + winery centre | Mixed |
| Wairau Valley + vineyard belt | Intensive viticulture | Overhead, irrigation feeders |
| Picton + Waikawa | Port town + ferry tourism | Mixed |
| Marlborough Sounds (Queen Charlotte, Pelorus) | Sparse coastal + holiday | Long overhead, marine exposure |
| Awatere Valley + south Marlborough | Sparse rural, dryland farming | Long overhead feeders |
Source: Marlborough Lines Asset Management Plan. South toward Kaikoura is MainPower; west toward Nelson is Network Tasman.
The role, decoded
What Marlborough Lines actually does (and does not do)
Marlborough Lines is a regulated electricity distributor: poles, wires, transformers, substations and the crews that maintain them. It is not a generator and not a retailer.
What Marlborough Lines owns and operates
- · Sub-transmission lines from Transpower grid exit points (GXPs).
- · 11kV and 22kV distribution feeders across the service area.
- · Distribution transformers and pillar boxes on your street.
- · Low-voltage service mains to your meter.
- · The 24/7 control room, fault crews and SCADA operations.
- · Network connection approvals (new builds, solar export, large EV chargers).
What Marlborough Lines does not do
- · Generate the electricity (gentailers and independents do).
- · Set the c/kWh rate on your bill (your retailer does).
- · Send you a monthly bill or take direct debits.
- · Own your smart meter: most are run by independent metering equipment providers (Intellihub, SmartCo, Metrix).
- · Manage retail plans, fixed terms or loyalty credits.
The hidden 30 to 45 per cent
How the Marlborough Lines lines charge shows up on your bill
Roughly 30 to 45 per cent of your retail bill is the Marlborough Lines lines pass-through, collected by your retailer and paid through. It has a fixed daily component, a variable energy component, and a time-of-use overlay.
| Component | Standard user | Low user | What drives it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fixed daily charge | ~80 to 130 c/day | ~15 to 30 c/day (capped by regulation) | Capacity, sub-network |
| Variable energy charge | ~7 to 12 c/kWh | ~10 to 18 c/kWh (low-user offset phasing out) | Volume + time-of-use window |
| Peak ToU multiplier | Up to ~2x on winter weekday peaks | Same multiplier applies | Cold-evening grid stress (~7-9am, 5-9pm winter) |
Indicative ranges drawn from Marlborough Lines's Pricing Methodology and Commerce Commission Information Disclosure. Exact c/day and c/kWh depend on your ICP's sub-pricing zone. Always check the lines-charge line item on your own bill.
What most pages will not tell you
Three structural facts that change how Marlborough Lines affects your bill
Wine country drives an unusual demand shape
Marlborough is NZ's largest wine region. Irrigation through the December-March growing season, frost-fighting fans on cold spring nights, and harvest-time processing all create seasonal spike demand that residential ToU does not capture. Vineyard ICPs are typically on dedicated viticulture network tariff classes that differ from residential.
Trust-owned with consumer dividends
Marlborough Lines is owned by the Marlborough Electric Power Trust, which distributes annual dividends to consumers (typically NZ$100 to $300 per connection). The trust also owns Yealands Wine Group, a downstream investment unusual for an electricity trust, which contributes to dividend payout.
Sounds and Awatere: extreme rural restoration
The Marlborough Sounds (Queen Charlotte, Pelorus) and the Awatere Valley sit on very long single-feeder overhead runs through difficult terrain. Wind, marine corrosion and earthquake exposure (Kaikoura 2016) all hit these corridors. Multi-day outages after major storms are realistic; full helicopter access is sometimes needed for the most remote pole sites.
How to reach Marlborough Lines
Marlborough Lines contact methods, by the reason you are calling
| Reason | Channel | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Power cut, fallen line, network fault | 0800 99 6111 | 24/7, free-call |
| Life-threatening hazard | 111, then Marlborough Lines | 24/7 |
| Appliance damage claim | Claim form on Marlborough Lines site | Online, 4 to 8 week processing |
| Planned outage notification | Live status board | 5 to 10 working days notice |
| Billing question | Your retailer (Marlborough Lines does not bill end customers) | Retailer's hours |
| Unresolved complaint | Utilities Disputes (free, independent) | After Marlborough Lines's final written answer |
Where your time actually pays
What a Marlborough Lines household should actually do
You cannot change who delivers your electricity. You can change what you do about it.
Vineyard or winery ICPs: confirm the correct tariff class
Marlborough Lines publishes specific viticulture and processing network tariffs. Your retailer should be billing against the correct class for irrigation, frost protection or winery processing, not a default residential ToU. Check the lines-charge line item on a recent bill.
Sounds + Awatere: plan for multi-day outage scenarios
A generator or solid battery bank is realistic insurance for very remote ICPs in the Sounds or upper Awatere Valley. The fixed daily charge already pays for a maintained network; resilience past 24 hours is a personal decision.
Earthquake awareness: 2016 Kaikoura remains visible
The 2016 Kaikoura earthquake significantly damaged Marlborough Lines' southern Awatere infrastructure. Resilience capex from that rebuild is still flowing through the network charge under DPP4. Seismic-rated zone substations and redundant feeder routing have been built in priority corridors.
The Selectra expert answers
Frequently asked questions about Marlborough Lines
Marlborough Lines' 24/7 fault line is 0800 99 6111, free-call. Use it for any power cut, downed line or fault across Blenheim, Picton, the Sounds, the wine country and Awatere. For an immediate hazard, dial 111 first.
Marlborough Lines is owned by the Marlborough Electric Power Trust, a community trust serving consumers in the Marlborough footprint. The trust also owns the Yealands Wine Group, an unusual downstream investment. Annual dividends typically run NZ$100 to $300 per connection. The Commerce Commission regulates Marlborough Lines' prices through DPP4.
Substantially. Marlborough is NZ's largest wine region. Irrigation, frost-protection fans and harvest-time winery processing create seasonal spike demand patterns that differ from residential winter peaks. Vineyards typically sit on specific viticulture network tariff classes.
Yes, via Marlborough Lines directly (marlboroughlines.co.nz). Frame around equipment failure on restoration. Sounds-area outages from extreme weather are often classified as force majeure, so the equipment-failure framing matters. Processing 4 to 8 weeks.
No. Marlborough Lines is the regulated monopoly distributor for Marlborough. You can switch retailer any day, but the Marlborough Lines charge is passed through unchanged.