By Live 24/7 Powerco fault line
Power out anywhere from New Plymouth to Tauranga?
Call Powerco on 0800 27 27 27, 24 hours a day. Your retailer (Mercury, Genesis, Contact and the rest) cannot dispatch a crew. For a fallen line, sparks, smoke or any fire risk, dial 111 first, stay at least 8 metres away, then ring Powerco.
The live outage map is at powerco.co.nz/customer-help/outages. Check it before you call, the cut may already be logged.
Powerco at a glance
The numbers that explain your network bill
Connection points (ICPs)
~344,000
Second-largest NZ distributor
Network conductor
~28,000 km
Longest distribution network in NZ
24/7 fault line
0800 27 27 27
Free-call, NZ-wide
ComCom regulatory path
DPP4 2025-30
Default, not customised
Two networks, one company
Powerco's Eastern network covers Taranaki, Whanganui, Manawatu, Tararua and Wairarapa. Its Western network is a separate footprint covering Tauranga, Western Bay of Plenty, Coromandel and Thames Valley. The two are not connected to each other on Powerco's own poles, they are stitched together through Transpower's national grid. That separation is the reason a storm on Mt Taranaki rarely takes out Tauranga, and vice versa.
Where Powerco owns the wires
Coverage area: half the lower North Island and a slice of the Bay of Plenty
Two non-contiguous networks, one regulatory licence. Each is exposed to different weather, different demand growth and different generation neighbours.
| Area | Network | Density profile |
|---|---|---|
| Taranaki (New Plymouth, Stratford, Hawera) | Eastern | Urban + dairy + petroleum industrial |
| Whanganui | Eastern | Small urban + rural |
| Manawatu (Palmerston North, Feilding) | Eastern | Urban + agricultural belt |
| Tararua + Wairarapa (Masterton, Carterton, Martinborough) | Eastern | Rural, wine, wind-farm host |
| Tauranga + Mount Maunganui | Western | Fastest-growing major NZ city |
| Western Bay of Plenty + Te Puke | Western | Horticulture (kiwifruit) + suburban |
| Coromandel + Thames Valley | Western | Rural + holiday + retiree influx |
Source: Powerco Asset Management Plan and Commerce Commission Information Disclosure. Eastern Bay of Plenty (Whakatane east) and the rest of central North Island are not Powerco, they belong to Horizon Networks, Unison and others.
The role, decoded
What Powerco actually does (and does not do)
Powerco is a regulated electricity distributor: poles, wires, transformers, substations, crews. It is not a generator, not a retailer, and (since 2019) not your gas pipes either, gas distribution was divested.
What Powerco owns and operates
- · Sub-transmission lines (33kV, 66kV) from Transpower GXPs.
- · 11kV and 22kV distribution feeders, urban and rural.
- · Distribution transformers and pillar boxes on your street.
- · Low-voltage service mains to your meter.
- · The 24/7 control room, vegetation management contractors and fault crews.
- · Connection approvals (new builds, solar export, EV chargers).
What Powerco does not do
- · Generate electricity (no Maungahuia hydro, no Taranaki wind here).
- · Set the c/kWh on your bill (that is your retailer).
- · Own your smart meter (Intellihub, SmartCo or Metrix do).
- · Distribute gas any more (sold to First Gas in 2017).
- · Send you a monthly bill (your retailer does, with Powerco's charge passed through).
The hidden 30 to 45 per cent
How the Powerco lines charge shows up on your bill
Roughly 30 to 45 per cent of your monthly retail bill is the Powerco lines pass-through. It is built from a fixed daily charge, a variable energy charge, and a time-of-use overlay that punishes winter weekday peaks.
| Component | Standard user (residential) | Low user (residential) | What drives it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fixed daily charge | ~110 to 160 c/day | ~15 to 30 c/day (capped by regulation) | Long-line cost recovery, sub-network |
| Variable energy charge | ~8 to 14 c/kWh | ~12 to 22 c/kWh (low-user offset phasing out) | Volume + time-of-use window |
| Peak ToU multiplier | Up to ~2.5x on winter weekday peaks | Same multiplier applies | Cold-evening grid stress (~7-9am, 5-9pm) |
Indicative ranges drawn from Powerco's Pricing Methodology and Commerce Commission Information Disclosure. Exact c/day and c/kWh depend on your ICP's network segment (Eastern or Western, urban or rural). Powerco runs more than 30 distinct sub-pricing zones, the highest of any NZ distributor. Always check the lines-charge line item on your own bill.
Why a Tauranga ICP and a Wairarapa ICP pay very different lines
Powerco's pricing is geographically segmented. Urban Tauranga on dense underground feeders pays a lower per-kWh delivery component than rural Wairarapa on long overhead lines with few customers per km. The retail c/kWh you compare on a comparison site does not reveal this. Two Powerco households on the same retail plan can see the line item differ by 30 to 50 per cent.
What most pages will not tell you
Three structural facts that change how Powerco affects your bill
Australian infrastructure funds own Powerco
Unlike most NZ lines companies (trust-owned with consumer dividends, or council-owned), Powerco is held by AMP Capital (58 per cent) and the Queensland Investment Corporation (42 per cent). Both are large Australian/global infrastructure funds. The practical effect: cash flow leaves the country as dividends rather than returning to local consumers as rebates. ComCom regulation caps the WACC but does not require local re-investment.
Longest network in NZ, second-largest by customers
Powerco runs ~28,000 km of conductor against Vector's ~22,000, but serves 40 per cent fewer customers. Lower customer density = higher per-ICP maintenance + capital recovery cost. This is the structural reason rural Powerco fixed daily charges are noticeably higher than the equivalent on Vector or Wellington Electricity, even when the retailer plan is identical.
Tauranga growth + capacity contributions
Tauranga is NZ's fastest-growing major city. Powerco recovers some of that growth cost upfront via capacity contribution charges at the new-connection stage (often $3,000 to $15,000 for a new subdivision, sometimes higher). For households moving into new builds, this charge is bundled into the section price, but it is real and it is regulated separately from the monthly lines charge.
How to reach Powerco
Powerco contact methods, by the reason you are calling
| Reason | Channel | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Power cut, fallen line, network fault | 0800 27 27 27 | 24/7, free-call |
| Life-threatening hazard | 111, then Powerco | 24/7 |
| Appliance damage claim after a surge | Damage claim form (powerco.co.nz) | Online, 4 to 8 week processing |
| Planned outage notification | Live outages map | Notice 5 to 10 working days in advance |
| New connection or capacity upgrade | powerco.co.nz / connect | Business hours, capacity contribution may apply |
| Solar export or large EV charger approval | powerco.co.nz / solar and batteries | Business hours, 4 to 8 week assessment |
| Billing question | Your retailer (Powerco does not bill end customers) | Retailer's hours |
| Unresolved complaint | Utilities Disputes (free, independent) | After Powerco's final written answer |
Where your time actually pays
What a Powerco household should actually do
You cannot pick a different lines company. You can pick the retailer plan that survives Powerco's pricing logic best, and you can claim the money you are owed when things break.
On rural feeders, prioritise off-peak shifting over plan-shopping
Powerco's peak ToU multiplier is up to ~2.5x, the steepest in NZ. A rural Wairarapa or Coromandel household will save more by shifting hot water and EV charging to off-peak hours than by switching retailer. The retail c/kWh comparison hides Powerco's ToU bite, which any decent retailer plan still passes through.
In Tauranga, ask about capacity contributions before you buy a new build
If your section is in a recent Powerco-served Tauranga subdivision, part of the developer's cost was a capacity contribution to the network. Make sure that obligation has been settled. New owners occasionally inherit a residual capacity charge or pay a higher fixed daily on their first year.
After a storm, file the damage claim with Powerco, not your retailer
Powerco's Eastern network sees the highest storm frequency of any urban-rural mixed distributor in NZ. File the form at powerco.co.nz/customer-help/forms/claim-form with photos, receipts, the outage timestamp, and an electrician's report. Storm-driven claims face higher rejection rates (force majeure) but equipment-failure surges typically succeed.
The Selectra expert answers
Frequently asked questions about Powerco
Powerco's 24/7 fault line is 0800 27 27 27, free-call from anywhere in New Zealand. Use it for any power cut, downed line, sparking transformer or flicker across Taranaki, Whanganui, Manawatu, Wairarapa, Tauranga, Western Bay of Plenty, Coromandel or Thames Valley. For a hazard (fallen line, fire), call 111 first.
Powerco has roughly 344,000 ICPs, against Vector's ~600,000. Powerco serves about half as many customers, but runs more line (~28,000 km against Vector's ~22,000 km) because much of its footprint is rural. Lower density means higher per-customer maintenance cost, which is why Powerco fixed daily charges tend to run higher than Auckland equivalents.
Historical roll-up. Powerco was assembled from several smaller distributors during the 1990s and 2000s, including the former Egmont Electricity, Tasman Energy, Wanganui Energy and Tauranga Electricity Board. The Eastern and Western networks were never physically connected and remain stitched together only via Transpower's grid. A storm affecting Taranaki rarely propagates into Tauranga, and vice versa.
Powerco is owned by two Australian infrastructure funds: AMP Capital (58 per cent) and the Queensland Investment Corporation (42 per cent). It is one of the few NZ lines companies not structured as a community trust or council-owned entity. The Commerce Commission regulates its prices and reliability through the Default Price-Quality Path (DPP4 covers 2025 to 2030).
Yes, but the claim is filed with Powerco, not your retailer. The form is at powerco.co.nz/customer-help/forms/claim-form. Include photos, original purchase receipt, age of the appliance, a registered electrician's report linking failure to the surge, and the outage timestamp from the live map. Processing typically takes 4 to 8 weeks. Equipment-failure surges have the highest acceptance rate; storm-driven (force majeure) events are commonly rejected.
Powerco's pricing is geographically segmented. Long rural feeders with few customers per km (Wairarapa, Coromandel, parts of Tararua) cost more per delivered kWh than dense urban feeders (Tauranga, central New Plymouth). Powerco runs more than 30 distinct sub-pricing zones, so two ICPs on the same retail plan can see lines components 30 to 50 per cent apart.
No. Powerco sold its gas distribution business to First Gas in 2017. Powerco today is an electricity-only distributor. If you have gas at your address and need to report a leak, ring First Gas on 0800 733 835, or call 111 for any immediate danger.
For a single fault: 1 to 4 hours, inside the regulated SAIDI envelope. For a region-wide storm (Cyclone Gabrielle 2023, the 2024 Tauranga events): several days for the worst-affected rural sections. Powerco prioritises hospitals, water pumping, telecom and high-density urban feeders. Rural Tararua, deeper Coromandel and back-country Taranaki typically wait longest. Civil Defence opens welfare centres when outages exceed 24 hours.