By Live 24/7 Vector fault line
Power out, sparks or a downed line in Auckland?
Call Vector directly on 0508 832 867 (0508 VECTOR). Your retailer cannot dispatch a crew. For any hazard, fallen line or fire risk, dial 111 first, then Vector. Stay at least 8 metres from any line on the ground, even one that looks dead.
Check the live outage map at outages.vector.co.nz before you ring, the cut may already be logged.
Vector at a glance
The numbers that explain your network bill
Connection points (ICPs)
~600,000
Roughly 1 in 3 NZ households
Cables and overhead lines
~22,000 km
Sub-transmission + distribution
24/7 fault line
0508 832 867
Free-call, NZ-wide
ComCom price-quality reset
DPP4 2025-30
Five-year regulatory cycle
What "ICP" means on your bill
An Installation Control Point is the unique 15-digit code identifying a physical meter. Your retailer reads it and bills you. Vector also reads it (over SCADA) and bills your retailer for the lines portion. One ICP, two parallel invoicing systems.
Where Vector owns the wires
Coverage area: Wellsford to Papakura, plus the islands
Vector's franchise extends from the southern Northland boundary down to central Papakura. South of there, the lines company changes to Counties Energy. North of Wellsford the network passes to Northpower. Vector also owns the network on Waiheke and Great Barrier islands.
| Area | Density profile | Network type |
|---|---|---|
| Auckland CBD, inner suburbs | High density, commercial and high-rise | Predominantly underground (LV and 11kV) |
| North Shore, Eastern Bays, Manukau | Medium-to-high suburban | Mixed overhead and underground |
| West Auckland (Henderson, Massey, Kumeu) | Suburban with semi-rural edge | Mostly overhead, vegetation-prone |
| Rodney (Warkworth, Wellsford, Coast) | Rural and lifestyle blocks | Predominantly overhead |
| Papakura (to lines boundary) | Suburban | Mixed |
| Waiheke and Great Barrier | Island, holiday peaks | Submarine cable + island distribution |
Source: Vector Asset Management Plan and Commerce Commission Information Disclosure. South of Papakura, supply transfers to Counties Energy at the boundary substation. Different lines company means a different fault number and a different invoice line on your bill.
The role, decoded
What Vector actually does (and does not do)
Vector is a regulated electricity distributor, not a generator and not a retailer. Its job is everything between Transpower's high-voltage substation and the meter screwed to your wall.
What Vector owns and operates
- · 33kV sub-transmission lines from Transpower GXPs (grid exit points).
- · 11kV and 22kV distribution feeders across Auckland suburbs.
- · Distribution transformers (the green pillars on your kerb).
- · Low-voltage service mains from the transformer to your meter.
- · The fault-response crew, helicopters and SCADA operations centre.
- · Network connection approvals (e.g. for solar export, EV chargers above 11kW).
What Vector does not do
- · Generate the electricity (that is the gentailers and independents).
- · Set the c/kWh price you pay (that is your retailer).
- · Send you the monthly bill or take direct debits.
- · Manage retail plans, fixed terms or loyalty credits.
- · Own your smart meter: most are now operated by Intellihub, SmartCo or Metrix.
The smart meter handover
Until 2018, most Auckland smart meters sat in Vector's metering subsidiary, AMS (later folded into Vector Metering and then divested). Vector chose to exit the metering business and focus on the wires; that is why your smart meter may now be owned by an independent metering equipment provider (MEP) under contract to your retailer. The meter still sits on Vector's network, but Vector no longer reads it.
The hidden 30 to 45 per cent
How the Vector "network tax" is built into your power bill
Roughly 30 to 45 per cent of your retail bill is the Vector lines charge, passed through by your retailer. Slide your usage below to see the exact dollar amount Vector takes from your bill, and what stays with the retailer.
Tell us about your household
Your tariff type
Low user = under 8,000 kWh/year. The fixed-charge cap is climbing each August through 2027.
Season
Vector applies a peak multiplier 7 to 9am and 5 to 9pm on winter weekdays.
Off-peak season: no ToU adder. Most days carry the standard variable rate only.
What Vector takes from your bill
out of an estimated total monthly invoice
What Vector charges your retailer for
- Fixed daily charge
- Variable, every kWh you use
- Winter weekday peak adder (ToU)
Calculator uses indicative DPP4 residential pricing for the Vector network: standard-user fixed ~105 c/day + ~9.5 c/kWh; low-user fixed ~22 c/day + ~14 c/kWh; winter ToU adder applied on ~15 per cent of monthly usage. Total bill estimate adds typical retailer fixed ~NZ$20 to NZ$30/month, retail energy ~16 to 18 c/kWh, EA + levies, then GST 15 per cent. Your real bill can vary by ICP, sub-network and retailer plan. Always check the lines-charge line on your own invoice.
Why two Auckland houses on the same retail plan see different totals
The retail c/kWh quoted on a comparison site is only one slice of the bill. Two homes on the same plan, one in central Mt Eden and one in Helensville, will see different totals because Vector charges different network components by sub-network. The retail tariff is uniform; the lines pass-through is not.
What most pages will not tell you
Three structural facts that change how Vector affects your bill
Regulated monopoly, not a competitor
There is no second lines company in Auckland and there will not be one. Vector's tariffs and reliability targets are set by the Commerce Commission's Default Price-Quality Path (DPP4 covers 2025 to 2030). Switching retailer does not change a single cent of your Vector charge. Switching retailer changes only the retail energy and margin layered on top.
The low-user discount is being phased out
From 2022 the regulated low-user fixed-charge cap (long held near 30 c/day) has been rising in steps to converge with standard-user pricing by 2027. If you are on a low-user tariff in Auckland today, expect your Vector fixed charge to climb annually, with the variable rate trimmed only partially. Net effect on a 6,500 kWh/year household: usually worse, not better.
Solar export approval sits with Vector
A retailer can quote you a solar buy-back rate all day long, but the moment your inverter exports more than a few kW, Vector's network connection rules kick in. Systems above the standard inverter limit need a Vector network impact assessment. EV chargers above 11kW need the same approval. Delays here, not the retailer's onboarding, drive the four-to-eight-week wait some households see.
How to reach Vector
Vector contact methods, by the reason you are calling
| Reason | Channel | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Power cut, fallen line, network fault | 0508 832 867 (0508 VECTOR) | 24/7, free-call |
| Life-threatening hazard | 111, then Vector | 24/7 |
| Appliance damage claim after a surge | Damaged appliance claim form | Online, 4 to 8 week processing |
| Planned outage scheduled in your street | Live outages map | Notice 5 to 10 working days in advance |
| New connection or capacity upgrade | vector.co.nz / new connection | Business hours |
| Solar export or EV charger approval | vector.co.nz / solar and batteries | Business hours, 4 to 8 week assessment |
| Billing question | Your retailer (Vector does not bill end customers) | Retailer's hours |
| Unresolved complaint | Utilities Disputes (free, independent) | After Vector's final written answer |
Where your time actually pays
What an Auckland household should actually do about Vector
You cannot change who delivers your electricity. You can change what you do about it. Three high-leverage moves, ordered by payback:
Pick a retailer whose plan shape matches your demand curve
Vector's ToU multiplier rewards households that shift heavy loads out of the 7-9am and 5-9pm peak. A free-hour or off-peak plan (Electric Kiwi, Octopus) outperforms a flat-rate plan once you actually run the hot-water cylinder and dishwasher overnight, because you are dodging both the retail peak and the Vector peak.
File the damage claim, every time
Vector publishes a structured form. Less than half of eligible Auckland households use it. Photos, receipts, the outage timestamp from the live map, a registered electrician's report linking failure to the surge, expect four to eight weeks. Appliances under five years old fare best.
Plan solar and EV charging around the network, not the inverter brochure
If your installer promises export of more than the standard inverter limit, ask for the Vector connection approval letter before signing. Same for any EV charger above 11kW. The buy-back rate your retailer advertises is meaningless if Vector limits your export at the point of connection.
The Selectra expert answers
Frequently asked questions about Vector
Vector's 24/7 fault line is 0508 832 867 (0508 VECTOR), free-call from anywhere in New Zealand. Use it for any power cut, downed line, hum or burning smell from a transformer, or unusual flicker. For an immediate life-threatening hazard, dial 111 first.
Roughly 30 to 45 per cent of a typical residential bill on the Vector network is the lines charge: a fixed daily portion (around 80 to 130 c/day on standard-user tariffs, far lower on the regulated low-user tariff) plus a variable energy portion (around 7 to 12 c/kWh) and a time-of-use multiplier on winter weekday peaks. Your retailer collects it and pays it through to Vector under the Commerce Commission's Default Price-Quality Path.
No. Vector is the regulated monopoly distributor for the Auckland region. If your address sits between Wellsford and central Papakura (plus Waiheke and Great Barrier), every kWh you use is delivered over Vector wires. You can switch retailer any time, but the Vector lines charge is passed through unchanged. The Commerce Commission regulates Vector's prices and quality through five-year resets (DPP4 covers 2025 to 2030).
Vector publishes a Pricing Methodology that segments its network into sub-pricing categories based on capacity, voltage, geography and load profile. Two Auckland addresses on the same retail plan can therefore see different lines components, because their ICPs sit on different network segments with different infrastructure cost recovery. The retail c/kWh is uniform across Auckland; the network pass-through is not.
Yes, but the claim is filed with Vector, not your retailer. Use the damaged-appliance form on vector.co.nz. Include photos of the dead appliance, original purchase receipt, age, a registered electrician's report linking failure to the surge, and the timestamp of the outage (the live map keeps a record). Processing typically takes 4 to 8 weeks. Surges that came from a force-majeure storm event are usually rejected; equipment-failure surges are usually accepted, especially for appliances under five years old.
Almost certainly not, any more. Vector divested its metering business and most Auckland smart meters are now owned and operated by independent Metering Equipment Providers (Intellihub, SmartCo, Metrix) under contract to your retailer. Your meter still sits on Vector's low-voltage network but is read and rented through your retailer. That is why your retailer can change without anyone climbing your wall.
Yes, for any installation above the standard inverter or charger limit. Vector publishes network connection rules on vector.co.nz; the assessment typically takes 4 to 8 weeks. Your retailer can market a generous solar buy-back rate, but Vector ultimately decides whether and how much your inverter is allowed to export at the point of connection.
Free and independent: Utilities Disputes handles complaints between New Zealand consumers and their electricity, gas, water or broadband provider. You must first give Vector a final written answer that you disagree with. Utilities Disputes decisions up to NZ$50,000 are binding on Vector but not on you, so you retain the right to go further if you choose.