PowerNet

Whew! It's been a bit blustery out there to say the least!
Our crews have been out repairing and restoring power to hundreds of you who lost power at different times today, and we know there are some of you who are still out!

From roofs removed from sheds to trees down across roads, broken power poles, and more - we can see it's been rough for lots of you out there.

Our teams will keep working while it's safe to do so - your power could come back on at any minute. Make sure you have appliances switched off at the wall, and leave one light switch 'on' so you know when power has been restored.

If your power is out and you don't see your area listed on our outage map, give us a call to report it on 0800 808 587.

www.powernet.co.nz/outages/current-and-planned-outages/

As it starts to head towards nightfall, we recommend you prepare to be without power overnight. Fingers crossed our team will get you back on, but just in case, check the torch batteries, and bust out the extra blankets.

These winds are forecast to continue until tomorrow at least, and we hear a rumour that there may be snow coming for those in Otago. Please, take care of yourselves out there.

Above all else, always remember to STAY AWAY from downed lines. Call 111 if there's immediate danger, and stay at least 10 metres away at all times.

We don't always remind you to be prepared for every wind or weather watch... but after last weekend we're feeling a little extra sensitive - don't know about you! ❤️💨⚡

MetService New Zealand have issued a severe wind watch for tomorrow morning, with a moderate chance of upgrading to a warning.

YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO, team!

Charge your devices, keep an eye on the forecast, and stay safe!
REMEMBER: If your power goes out, give us a call on 0800 808 587

(P.S. Hopefully you already checked your emergency kit! Visit our website for a handy list - and make sure the essentials are in a spot that's easy to find if the lights are out!)
https://powernet.co.nz/outages/

Plans for Queenstown’s first grid-scale battery energy storage system are moving forward!

Lakeland Network, which is managed by PowerNet, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with MTM Group to progress the project together with Remarkables Park Limited in Frankton.

The battery will store electricity for use when demand is high, helping manage peak demand and providing additional support during outages.

We’ll start with 6.25MWh of storage, with the ability to grow to more than 24MWh as the region grows.

It’s an exciting investment in a smarter, more resilient electricity network for Queenstown and we’re looking forward to working with MTM Group and Remarkables Park to make it happen.

We're getting there. Less than 30 of our customers remain without power, after some fantastic work by the repair crews.

Those without power are from individual faults that are mostly rural and spread around the region. We need to get through them one by one.

If you still don't have power and haven't called us today, please do so on 0800 808 587. We don't want to miss anyone.

Once again, our fabulous communities have been very supportive of our teams throughout this weather event, so THANK YOU to you all. Every kind word and understanding is much appreciated.

Read our full update here: https://powernet.co.nz/2026/08/24/power-restoration-nearly-complete/

CALL US: If you are still without power following yesterday's weather event, please call us.

Our amazing teams have managed to restore power for the majority of customers, but we still have a number of individual faults recorded. We're continuing to work on these.

Even if you called yesterday but your power has not been restored, we're asking you to call us again, so we can ensure every fault is logged and we have the most up to date information to get it sorted for you.

There are cases where we have restored power to an area but there may be individual properties that have remained without power and we don't know about them.

If you are out and about and spot any damage, please stay well clear and contact us as soon as possible.

Give us a call on 0800 808 587.

Good morning, Southland & Otago!
The view from our Invercargill car park this morning looks a little more promising than yesterday's skies!

We hope that for those of you who were without power overnight, you've managed to keep warm and safe

Hey, Southland & Otago.
You've been absolute legends today... but we've got to say, we reckon our field crews are the true MVPs!

They've managed to get power restored to hundreds of you since our last update, and they're still out there in the dark and cold working to get as many of you back on before they hang up their PPE for the night.

There have been more new outages since our last update because of the damage caused by the weather.

Unfortunately, many of you are likely to be without power until tomorrow, with around 200 of you still out.

Our call centre is still operating overnight tonight, so if you haven't called to log your outage, please do so! 0800 808 587

If your power has been restored, but goes out again, make sure you give us a call to let us know about that, too!

We're signing off socials for the night now, but we'll be back bright and early.

Please take care tonight, spare a thought for our lineys still out there making repairs, and stay safe.

Wow! It’s been a rough day out there – wind, thunder, lightning, hail and a Transpower fault all thrown in together!

Our crews have worked hard to restore electricity to thousands of customers in Otago and Southland, but we are aware that there are still approximately 300 customers who remain without power.

Crews hope to restore at least 150 of those tonight, but others with more individualised faults could remain without power overnight.

While the official weather warning has lifted, we’re still experiencing some pretty rough weather so further outages are possible.

Hunker down and stay warm and safe tonight.

If you come across damage, please stay clear and call us on 0800 808 587.

Read the full details on our website here: https://powernet.co.nz/2026/08/23/power-restored-for-most-customers/

While the weather warning period has ended - we're still battling the elements to get power restored to around 800 customers!

The issue caused by a Transpower outage has been resolved, but around 300 people in Otago and 500 in Southland remain without power.

There could be more - lightning strikes have caused localised damage to equipment throughout the region, so if your power is out and you haven't called us about it yet, do so now! 0800 808 587

We're still experiencing big winds, rain, and potential for more thunder and lightning - stay safe!

It's too soon to say whether power will be out overnight, so do check your emergency kits now.

If you're medically dependent on power, consider activating your emergency plan and contact your medical provider for support if you need to.

Read the full details about today's events on our website here:
https://powernet.co.nz/2026/08/23/10900/

UPDATE 2.30pm:
While the weather warning period has ended - we're still battling the elements to get power restored to around 800 customers!
The issue caused by a Transpower outage has been resolved, but around 300 people in Otago and 500 in Southland remain without power.
There could be more - lightning strikes have caused localised damage to equipment throughout the region, so if your power is out and you haven't called us about it yet, do so now! 0800 808 587
We're still experiencing big winds, rain, and potential for more thunder and lightning - stay safe!
It's too soon to say whether power will be out overnight, so do check your emergency kits now.
If you're medically dependent on power, consider activating your emergency plan and contact your medical provider for support if you need to.
Read the full details about today's events on our website here:
https://powernet.co.nz/2026/08/23/10900/
---------------------------------------------------------
UPDATE: The Transpower issue appears to be resolved, so many of you will have your power restored now and very soon. Please be aware that there will still be some people affected by storm damage, which may take longer to restore. We will update soon with further information.

Kia Ora Team,
Transpower NZ have had a significant interruption to their supply, which is affecting customers in Central Southland, Northern Southland, and all of Eastern Southland.

We estimate about 25,000 people are without power in our regions.

This issue is on top of damage we experienced to the network because of the wind.

Transpower is working to restore supply now, and we expect to get our network back up and running in the next few hours. Please be aware though, that any damage from the wind earlier today will still need repair work from our teams.

For now, we ask that you do not call our 0800 number to report that your power is out. We'll let you know when to start calling again.

Meanwhile, we're aware that there have been some issues accessing our website.

We are here on socials, available by message and will be responding to your comments!