17 April 2018

Storm Update Friday 20th 10am

Media Releases Network Updates
   
See video update from our CEO Simon Mackenzie

Storm update 20 April 10:00am

We’re still working to restore power for those customers still without power from the storm and we’re now down to around 150. A large proportion of these are service lines – the lines connecting individual houses to the network. 

Service lines are the responsibility of property owners, as are trees on private property that might be impacting those lines, and household circuit boards. However our crews have been fixing all of these as we recognise this is the fastest way to get power back on.

We’re working as hard as we can to get power back on for customers ahead of the weekend.

The majority of our regular planned works, including new connections, remain cancelled while we reconnect customers from the storm. 

In addition to the storm related work, we continue to receive around 100 reports of new faults on a daily basis, ranging from car crashes into power poles to further tree damage. This is normal, and we’ve been responding to those as well.

We appreciate this is immensely frustrating. We’ve been working with all the relevant agencies, including police, civil defence, Council, who are better placed than we are to provide emergency support services where required, and we’ve been letting customers know about making alternatives arrangements if this is relevant for their situation.


Storm update 17 April 6:30pm

Vector is making good progress in restoring power to those remaining Aucklanders affected by Tuesday’s destructive wind-storm, which impacted 180,000 homes and businesses, primarily as a result of tree damage to lines.

Fewer than 400 individual properties remain without power as a result of direct damage from the storm. The damage to the network affecting remaining storm-impacted customers includes some of the most extensive and difficult to repair (see photos below). Other non-storm related power outages (such as car v poles or ongoing damage caused by weakened trees or branches) are also requiring usual restoration work. 

Vector’s outage field staff, including additional field staff from outside of Auckland, have continued to work 24/7 to restore power to those remaining customers impacted by the storm and will continue to do so until everyone is reconnected. As well as this our field staff, where it is possible and safe to do so, are repairing any damage they see to service lines (the lines that run from the power poles to an individual property, which are usually the responsibility of property owners) to ensure that once the network damage is fixed, power is restored to the home as soon as possible.

Information on where our outage crews are currently working is available here. 

Updated information on restoration times is available here 

HOT WATER ISSUES

Vector is aware of hot water issues throughout the region. These issues are separate to our power restoration work and are being seen to by hot water crews. Any post-outage hot water issues are usually related to specific hot water systems that require a pilot line, which may have been damaged separately to power lines. So some customers will have had main lines supply of power restored, only to then become aware that their hot water pilot line also needs to be restored. 

Vector’s Head of Network Programme Delivery, Minoru Frederiksens, offers an explanation on the process taken to restore hot water after a major power outage.

That video is available here: 

Further information on what to do if you don’t have hot water is also available on our website here

PUBLIC SAFETY MESSAGES 

Our outage response crews continue to observe massive amounts of tree damage right across Auckland as we work to restore power, and weakened trees are continuing to give way. Vector would like to remind the public to please be wary of large trees or branches for the next few weeks. If you see a tree with damaged branches that haven’t come down, please alert the landowner or Auckland Council. Click here for an official advisory from Auckland Council on the issue of damaged or weakened trees.

All downed power lines should be treated as live, so please stay well away and don’t attempt to cut or move trees that are in contact with lines.

If you use medical equipment that relies on electricity you should let your power company or retailer know first. If you are not able to contact your retailer, please contact Civil Defence on 0800 22 22 00. However, if there is an immediate health threat, please contact your health provider or call 111.

In the meantime, we’re continuing to work with Civil Defence and Auckland Council to provide assistance to impacted communities where we can. 



Storm update 17 April 10:20am


Vector's outage crews have now repaired all known damage to main supply lines in Auckland’s suburbs.
 
Their focus now is on repairing the localised damage affecting under 900 individual properties.
 
The main issues to work through now are repairing damage and restoring power to those individual properties which didn’t come back on once the main supply lines were fixed. In some cases, restoration work is needing to be done on parts of the network not managed by Vector (i.e. the service lines supplying electricity from the power lines to an individual property, which are the responsibility of property owners). Where our staff can, they’re repairing damaged service lines if possible.
 
Customers who remain without power or hot water after the main supply line to their suburb or street is reconnected should get in touch with Vector via phone or app to let us know, as there may be localised faults on individual properties.

The other main issue is restoring hot water, which is separate to power restoration. Hot water has been restored to the following suburbs; remaining suburbs will be restored progressively this week. A list of suburbs is available at the bottom of this page
 
Those crews, and others solely dedicated to restoring hot water, will continue to work 24/7 until everyone is connected.
 
Information on where our outage crews are currently working is available : https://www.vector.co.nz/personal/outages/outage-map

Updated information on restoration times is available : https://www.vector.co.nz/personal/outages/restoration-times
 
HOT WATER ISSUES
 
Vector is aware of hot water issues throughout the region. These are separate to our power restoration work.
 
Vector’s Head of Network Programme Delivery, Minoru Frederiksens, offers an explanation on the process taken to restore hot water after a major power outage.
 
That video is available here: https://vimeo.com/264927370
 
Further information on what to do if you don’t have hot water is also available on our website here: https://www.vector.co.nz/news/what-to-do-if-you-don-t-have-hot-water

PUBLIC SAFETY MESSAGES
 
Our outage response crews continue to observe massive amounts of tree damage right across Auckland as we work to restore power, and weakened trees are continuing to give way. Vector would like to remind the public to please be wary of large trees or branches for the next few weeks. If you see a tree with damaged branches that haven’t come down, please alert the landowner or Auckland Council. Click her for an official advisory from Auckland Council on the issue of damaged or weakened trees.
 
All downed power lines should be treated as live, so please stay well away and don’t attempt to cut or move trees that are in contact with lines.

If you use medical equipment that relies on electricity you should let your power company or retailer know first. If you are not able to contact your retailer, please contact Civil Defence on 0800 22 22 00. However, if there is an immediate health threat, please contact your health provider or call 111.

In the meantime, we’re continuing to work with Civil Defence and Auckland Council to provide assistance to impacted communities where we can. 




Storm update 16 April 6:30pm

Vector's outage crews have now repaired all known damage to main supply lines in Auckland’s suburbs.

Their focus now is on repairing the localised damage affecting under 1,200 individual properties. Customers who remain without power or hot water after the main supply line to their suburb or street is reconnected should get in touch with Vector via phone or app to let us know, as there may be localised faults on individual properties.

Those crews, and others solely dedicated to restoring hot water, will continue to work 24/7 until everyone is connected.

We know that accurate estimates for power and/or hot water being restored has been a significant source of customer frustration, and we apologise for this. We’ll publish all new information as soon as we get it.

Information on where our outage crews are currently working is available here 

Updated information on restoration times is available here:

Hot water issues

Vector is aware of hot water issues throughout the region. These are separate to our power restoration work.

Vector’s Head of Network Programme Delivery, Minoru Frederiksens, offers an explanation on the process taken to restore hot water after a major power outage.

That video is available here: https://vimeo.com/264927370 

Further information on what to do if you don’t have hot water is also available here: 

Public safety messages

Our outage response crews continue to observe massive amounts of tree damage right across Auckland as we work to restore power, and weakened trees are continuing to give way. Vector would like to remind the public to please be wary of large trees or branches for the next few weeks. If you see a tree with damaged branches that haven’t come down, please alert the landowner or Auckland Council. Click her for an official advisory from Auckland Council on the issue of damaged or weakened trees.

All downed power lines should be treated as live, so please stay well away and don’t attempt to cut or move trees that are in contact with lines.

If you use medical equipment that relies on electricity you should let your power company or retailer know first. If you are not able to contact your retailer, please contact Civil Defence on 0800 22 22 00. However, if there is an immediate health threat, please contact your health provider or call 111.

In the meantime, we’re continuing to work with Civil Defence and Auckland Council to provide assistance to impacted communities where we can. 


Storm update 16 April 9am (as per update date from 15 April 7pm)

Vector's outage crews have made ongoing progress today to restore main supply lines to the majority of suburbs still without power, and to isolated power and hot water faults scattered around Auckland.
 
Vector crews will continue to work 24/7 until everyone is connected. The approximate number of those homes or businesses still without power and/or hot water due to the storm is between 500 to 1,500, but will continue to fluctuate due to weather conditions and ongoing tree fall which is causing new or additional damage.
 
The majority of those suburbs where main supply lines have been affected by the storm are expected to be restored before the morning. Customers who remain without power or hot water after their street is reconnected should get in touch with Vector via phone or app to let us know, as there may be localised faults on individual properties.
 
vector.co.nz is the best place for the latest information on which areas we’re working on. If there is no information for your area that is because no information is currently available. We know that accurate estimates for power and/or hot water being restored has been a significant source of customer frustration, and we apologise for this. We’ll publish all new information as soon as we get it.
 
Information on where our outage crews are currently working is available here.
Updated information on restoration times is available here.
 
We’d like to acknowledge the extraordinary patience of those who have been impacted. We know this is immensely frustrating but we’re working hard to fix your power and hot water and we won’t stop until it’s done.
 
Public safety messages
 
Our outage response crews continue to observe massive amounts of tree damage right across Auckland as we work to restore power, and weakened trees are continuing to give way. Vector would like to remind the public to please be wary of large trees or branches for the next few weeks. If you see a tree with damaged branches that haven’t come down, please alert the landowner or Auckland Council.
 
All downed power lines should be treated as live, so please stay well away and don’t attempt to cut or move trees that are in contact with lines.

If you use medical equipment that relies on electricity you should let your power company or retailer know first. If you are not able to contact your retailer, please contact Civil Defence on 0800 22 22 00. However, if there is an immediate health threat, please contact your health provider or call 111.

In the meantime, we’re continuing to work with Civil Defence and Auckland Council to provide assistance to impacted communities where we can. 


Storm update 15 April 12:40pm

Vector's outage crews have made ongoing progress overnight and this morning to restore main supply lines to those suburbs still without power due to the destructive wind-storm on Tuesday evening.
 
Vector crews are still focusing on larger outages in some of the more remote communities that are often connected by long single lines through rugged bush, particularly around the West Coast and North-West Coast areas of the city. Work to restore isolated power and hot water faults scattered around Auckland is also ongoing.
 
Vector crews will continue to work 24/7 until everyone is connected. The approximate number of those customers still without power and/or hot water due to the storm is currently fluctuating between 1,500 and 2,500 because of continued poor weather and ongoing tree fall, which is causing new or additional damage to existing faults.
 
For those still without power, vector.co.nz is the best place for the latest information on which areas we’re working on. If there is no information for your area that is because no information is currently available. We’ll publish all new information as soon as we get it. The scale of the wind-storm event and the multiple factors involved in each outage has meant we haven’t been able to give accurate estimates for power coming back to individual houses. We know this has been a significant source of customer frustration and we apologise for this.
 
Customers who remain without power or hot water after their street is reconnected should get in touch with Vector via phone or app to let us know, as there may be localised faults on individual properties.
 
We’d like to acknowledge the extraordinary patience of those who have been impacted. We know this is immensely frustrating but we’re working hard to fix your power and hot water and we won’t stop until it’s done.
 
Public safety messages
 
Our outage response crews continue to observe massive amounts of tree damage right across Auckland as we work to restore power, and weakened trees are continuing to give way. Vector would like to remind the public to please be wary of large trees or branches for the next few weeks. If you see a tree with damaged branches that haven’t come down, please alert the landowner or Auckland Council.
 
All downed power lines should be treated as live, so please stay well away and don’t attempt to cut or move trees that are in contact with lines.

If you use medical equipment that relies on electricity you should let your power company or retailer know first. If you are not able to contact your retailer, please contact Civil Defence on 0800 22 22 00. However, if there is an immediate health threat, please contact your health provider or call 111.

In the meantime, we’re continuing to work with Civil Defence and Auckland Council to provide assistance to impacted communities where we can.





Storm update 14 April 9pm

Vector crews have continued to work hard to restore power following the destructive wind-storm on Tuesday night.
 
Repairs to the high voltage ‘backbone’ of the network is almost completed. Work is now underway dealing with the remaining isolated faults scattered around Auckland, and on hot water faults. 
 
Vector crews are also focusing on larger outages in some of the more remote communities that are often connected by long single lines through rugged bush, particularly around the West Coast and North-West Coast areas including Bethalls Beach, Piha, Riverhead and Kaukapakapa.
 
In these areas, lines have to be repaired section by section and the extent of the damage to each section cannot be identified until the crews get to it. As a result, it has proven extremely difficult to give accurate restoration times, however it’s likely some of these areas, or parts of these areas, will not be fully restored until mid-next week due to the magnitude of the work required to remove the large numbers of fallen trees.
 
The number of homes and businesses still without power is now around 3000, which is just over 1.5% of the 180,000 homes and businesses that lost power during the wind-storm. Vector crews will work 24/7 until everyone is connected. However, continued poor weather, lightning strikes and a number of car versus pole accidents around the city have caused new outages overnight and diverted some of our resources from the storm recovery work.
 
For those still without power, vector.co.nz is the best place for the latest information on which areas we’re working on. If there is no information for your area that is because no information is currently available. We’ll publish all new information as soon as we get it. The scale of the wind-storm event and the multiple factors involved in each outage has meant we haven’t been able to give accurate estimates for power coming back to individual houses. We know this has been a significant source of customer frustration and we apologise for this.
 
We wish to remind all Aucklanders that if anyone is medically dependant or in a vulnerable situation, they should urgently contact their electricity retailer, which is the industry agreed process, or contact emergency services. In the meantime, we’re working with Civil Defence and Auckland Council to provide assistance to impacted communities where we can.
 
We’d like to thank everyone for putting up with this over the last four days. We appreciate this is immensely frustrating but we’re working hard to fix your power and we won’t stop until it’s done.
 
 As always, we want to remind customers who remain without power or hot water after their street is reconnected to please get in touch with Vector via phone or app to let us know.
 
Trees remain a hazard
 
We would note that our crews have observed massive amounts of tree damage right across Auckland as we have worked to restore power following Tuesday’s massive wind-storm and weakened trees are continuing to give way. This is a good reminder to the public to please be wary of large trees or branches for the next few weeks. If you see a tree with damaged branches that haven’t come down, please alert the landowner or Auckland Council.
 
All downed power lines should be treated as live, so please stay well away and don’t attempt to cut or move trees that are in contact with lines. Our vegetation management company is getting safely around all those sites as they can



Storm update 14 April 4pm

Crews have been continuing to work hard today. The level of network damage caused by trees across Auckland is significant - with many crew saying they have not seen this level of damage for decades. 

With this in mind it is important for us to remind everyone to take care and exercise particular caution around any large trees or branches which may come loose and fall.

Vector lines crews have so far managed well over a thousand fallen trees as they restore power to 180,000 Aucklanders.






Storm update 14 April 9am

More poor weather last night has seen some new trees come down across parts of North Shore, South and West Auckland, creating new outages. We also had overloading affect a substation in Henderson/Swanson as large loads were being brought back onto the network, impacting customers in parts of West Auckland, but was fully restored by 9:30pm.

The affected areas from the new outages overnight are largely restored now, but it shows that the impact of Tuesday’s storm is ongoing, as weakened trees give way. Numbers without power are still extremely fluid, due to the new outages and restorations mentioned above.

We hope to have a firm figure by early afternoon. Overall, progress is still expected to continue as outlined yesterday, with the backbone of the network nearly fully restored, and individual pockets of homes, and those without hot water, being progressively restored into the middle of next week.

We’ll provide numbers when we have them, and another full update this evening.


A tree falls down in Muriwai just ​ahead of restoring power.



Storm update 13 April 5:30pm

Vector has made continued good progress through the largest and most difficult outages, restoring power to over 95% of Aucklanders who lost power due to Tuesday’s storm. Our next priority is the pockets of individual homes still without power largely due to localised failures network that can’t be backfed by electricity from elsewhere.

Vector has developed the new VECTOR NETWORK MAP which provides our customers with a better understanding of where Vector’s field staff are currently working. 

The VECTOR NETWORK MAP is now available here: http://bit.ly/VectorOutageMap

Around 9,000 customers remain without power heading into the weekend. Work to repair individual faults, which includes the restoration of some hot water pilot lights, will continue over the weekend, but will likely take us well into next week.

We understand this is going to be a big disappointment to those customers affected and we are deeply sorry. All we can do is reiterate that we continue to have out-of-town field crews on to bolster our own crews and we are working around the clock to restore power as fast as possible. 

In areas where the lack of electricity is also affecting access to running water or other essential services, we are working with Civil Defence to ensure basic living needs can be met. If you are still without power, we urge you to plan for an extended time without electricity and make alternative arrangements if appropriate. 

Once again, we acknowledge the extraordinary patience and understanding of our customers and reiterate that we do know you’re waiting, and we will get to you as soon as we can.

All downed power lines should be treated as live, so please stay well away and don’t attempt to cut or move trees that are in contact with lines. Our vegetation management company is getting safely around all those sites as they can.

​Storm update 13 April 3:00pm

Vector has made good progress restoring power, with around 95% of customers restored so far. The number without power is now down to approximately 11,000. At the peak of the storm there were 180,000 without power, just two and a half days ago.

The storm damage was the worst on our network since at least 2007.

The extensive damage to the backbone of the network takes time to repair, but is critical to getting the most customers back on in the fastest time.

As we restore high voltage infrastructure, we often learn about additional localised outages.

Our next priority is the pockets of individual homes still without power due to failures on the low voltage network.

This work, and the restoration of hot water pilot lines, will take us well into next week.

This is going to be a big disappointment to those customers affected, and all we can do is reiterate that we continue to have out-of-town field crews on to bolster our own crews and ensure we can work around the clock to restore power as fast as humanly possible.

Once again, we acknowledge the extraordinary patience and understanding of our customers and reiterate that we do know you’re waiting, and we will get to you as soon as we can.

Please check our website for the most up to date outage restoration information.

All downed power lines should be treated as live, so please stay well away and don’t attempt to cut or move trees that are in contact with lines. Our vegetation management company is getting safely around all those sites as they can.



Storm update 13 April 9:00am

Vector’s crews have been working through the night to restore power, and power has now been restored to more than 90% of customers who experienced a power outage due to Tuesday night’s storm. 

The number without power is now below 15,000 as at 7AM.

There have been additional feeder outages overnight due to weather. In most cases we’ve been able to partially restore customers through isolating the fault and re-livening where possible.

Our crews are continuing to work through the list of around 500 faults, power outages, and reports of damage on the network throughout the region. We have additional crew reinforcements from outside Auckland, including from as far away as Palmerston North and Wellington. 

We acknowledge the extraordinary patience and understanding of our customers and reiterate that we do know you’re waiting, and we will get to you.

Due to the volume of individual properties without power, we are continuing to provide updates on a suburb-by-suburb level. 

As we progress through the restoration work, we prioritise getting large groups of customers back on by isolating where the individual fault lies, then back feeding power to the group. This leaves smaller numbers of customers without power, and their individual faults to be resolved.  

In many cases we have managed to restore power to the majority of those customers in each suburb by isolating faults and back feeding where possible. However, individual faults remain, and we know there are still customers without power in these areas. For those remaining customers still without power, it is likely due to individual faults, meaning that while we continue to prioritise isolating and back feeding larger groups of customers, power is unlikely to be restored before end of day tomorrow or even longer. Those customers should make contingency plans, if they haven’t already done so.

The conditions in these suburbs is subject to change and this list will be continually updated. Please be assured that if you live in a suburb that is not on this list – we are aware of the power outages in your area. We will continue to provide updates as soon as we can. 

We are working as fast and as hard as we can to remove trees, repair damage, and restore power where it is safe and possible to do so.



Storm update 13 April 5:45am

Vector’s crews have been working through the night to restore power, and the number without power is now down to 17,000 as at 5AM.

There have been additional feeder outages overnight. In most cases we’ve been able to partially restore customers through isolating the fault and re-livening where possible.

Our crews are continuing to restore power. Reinforcements are here from outside Auckland, including from as far away as Palmerston North and Wellington.

We acknowledge the extraordinary patience and understanding of our customers and reiterate that we do know you’re waiting, and we will get to you.

All downed power lines should be treated as live, so please stay well away and don’t attempt to cut or move trees that are in contact with lines. Our vegetation management company is getting safely around all those sites as they can.



Storm update 12 April 8:00pm

22,570 customers are currently without power and/or hot water. Vector’s outage field staff are progressing steadily through the list of more than 600 faults, power outages, and reports of damage on the network throughout the region.

The latest weather forecast for this evening is improved, with the possibility Auckland will be spared the worst of the strong winds and thunderstorms earlier forecast. Provided it remains safe to do so, Vector crews will continue working overnight to restore power.

Due to the volume of individual properties without power, we are continuing to provide updates on a suburb-by-suburb level. We have also assigned default Estimated Restoration Times for customers whose jobs are yet to get a confirmed restoration estimate due to the high volume of work still remaining. This default restoration time is the end of Saturday night. It is our firm intention to restore power and/or hot water to the vast majority ahead of that time, but it means we should avoid having to continually move the estimate, which has been a source of understandable concern from our customers.

Please be assured that if you live in a suburb that is not on this list – we are aware of the power outages in your area. We will continue to provide updates as soon as we can.
 
We sincerely apologise for this and we understand our customers’ frustration. We are working as fast and as hard as we can to remove trees, repair damage, and restore power where it is safe and possible to do so.
 




Storm update 12 April 6:00pm

Vector’s outage response crews have restored power to more than 80% of customers who experienced a power outage due to Tuesday night’s storm.

25,286 customers are currently without power and/or hot water. Vector’s outage field staff are progressing steadily through the list of more than 600 faults, power outages, and reports of damage on the network throughout the region.

The number of customers without power and the number of jobs our outage staff need to respond to is subject to change, especially considering the possibility of inclement weather due to hit Auckland from 5pm tonight. Metservice is reporting a thunder, lightning and tornado risk for the region tonight. Our outage field staff are committed to restoring power for customers as fast as they can, and will continue to work through weather conditions up until the point it is unsafe to do so.

The conditions in these suburbs is subject to change and this list will be continually updated. Please be assured that if you live in a suburb that is not on this list – we are aware of the power outages in your area. We will continue to provide updates as soon as we can.

The following is a list of suburbs where we are aware of storm-related outages. New suburbs added to the list have been highlighted in blue.





Storm update 12 April 2:00pm

Vector’s outage response crews are continuing to restore power throughout Auckland where it is possible and safe to do so.

They’ve restored power to more than half of those customers who were experiencing an outage last night. 35,000 customers are currently without power and/or hot water. Vector’s outage field staff are progressing steadily through the list of more than 690 faults, power outages, and reports of damage on the network throughout the region.

The number of customers without power and the number of jobs our outage staff need to respond to is subject to change, especially considering the possibility of inclement weather due to hit Auckland from 5pm tonight. Metservice is reporting a thunder, lightning and tornado risk for the region tonight. Our outage field staff are committed to restoring power for customers as fast as they can, and will continue to work through weather conditions up until the point it is unsafe to do so.

The following is a list of suburbs where we are aware of storm-related outages.

The conditions in these suburbs is subject to change and this list will be continually updated. Please be assured that if you live in a suburb that is not on this list – we are aware of the power outages in your area. We will continue to provide updates as soon as we can.






Storm update 12 April 11:30am

We have managed to restore power a few thousand more cusomters since 9am today, with power still to be retored to 41,000 homes. As we get the number of outages down our outage field staff are able to provide more concrete estimated restoration times (ETRs). We will be able to provide these ETRs via our website, app and the media as soon as we have them. These will be subject to change, especially if the weather deteriorates later day.

Currently many of the outages registered on the app may be showing a default ETR time of up to 48 hours. While our staff is working as hard as they can to restore power as soon as possible, it may be several days until power and/or hot water is restored for some areas. Those without power should make contingency plans should they experience an extended outage.

We sincerely apologise for this and we understand your frustration. We are working as fast and as hard as we can to remove trees, repair damage, and restore power where it is safe and possible to do so.

Just a reminder that more strong wind is forecast for later today and this may create new outages as trees weakened by Tuesday night’s storm come down.

It may also hamper our restoration efforts if work becomes too dangerous in high winds. 

For those with power but without hot water, please note that our priority is to restore power first, with hot water restoration after that.

We will update this page as soon as estimated restoration times come to us from our field crews, and will keep updating that information throughout the day.

Because of the bad weather forecast, these ETRs may move back, but we will do our level best to prevent this.

Storm update Thursday 12 April 9am

Good morning,

Crews working overnight and this morning have made good progress repairing lines. About half the customers without power at 4pm Wednesday have got it back now.

However, if you are still without power, please consider making alternative plans in case restoration takes a few more days.

Unfortunately, more strong wind is forecast for later today and this may create new outages as trees weakened by Tuesday night’s storm come down.

It may also hamper our restoration efforts if work becomes too dangerous in high winds. 

For those with power but without hot water, please note that our priority is to restore power first, with hot water restoration after that.

Thank you once again for your incredible patience and resilience. We are looking forward to getting power back on to everyone as soon as we can. 












Which comes first? Restoration order 

We restore power in the following order: 
1.    Network feeders and substations which supply power to large groups of homes or buildings. 
2.    Critical infrastructure and buildings like hospitals, water and sewage plants, and airports. 
3.    Large commercial buildings and industrial plants 
4.    Residential and individual homes 
5.    Streetlights and hot water pilot lines

Vector advice during ongoing outages
•    Please stay well clear of fallen power lines or damaged electrical equipment and treat them as live at all times 
•    Avoid possible damage to electrical appliances (in the unlikely event there is a power surge when the power is restored) by switching off appliances at the wall.
•    Where possible, make plans to stay with friends and family who have power, or make alternative accommodation arrangements.
•    Keep a torch and spare batteries handy and ensure that you have at least one telephone that does not rely on electricity for operation 
•    Ensure that an alternate fuel is always available for cooking (e.g. gas for BBQ).”



Storm Update Wednesday 11th April 8pm

Customers in Auckland without power should be making contingency plans for outages to extend through to tomorrow as outage numbers remain high due to widespread and extensive damage.
 
We have restored power to more than 100,000 customers has been restored since the worst of the storm hit. However, 79,500 homes and businesses remained without power heading into the evening the region, and it will be a few days until power and/or hot water is restored to all areas.
 
All possible Vector field staff, as well as extra crews from outside of the region, are working to restore power and respond to outages, faults, and reports of damage to the network. Work will continue into the evening where it is possible and safe to do so.
 
Vector is aware of the outages the public are reporting to us, even though our outage map and app are not displaying up-to-date information. Outage response crews are prioritising jobs to restore power to critical infrastructure like network feeders (which supply power to large groups of homes and buildings) and other infrastructure like cell phone towers, water and sewage plants, and more.
 
Which comes first? Restoration order
We restore power in the following order:
  1. Network feeders and substations which supply power to large groups of homes or buildings.
  2. Critical infrastructure and buildings like hospitals, water and sewage plants, and airports.
  3. Large commercial buildings and industrial plants
  4. Residential and individual homes
  5. Streetlights and hot water pilot lines

Vector advice during ongoing outages
  • Please stay well clear of fallen power lines or damaged electrical equipment and treat them as live at all times
  • Avoid possible damage to electrical appliances (in the unlikely event there is a power surge when the power is restored) by switching off appliances at the wall.
  • Where possible, make plans to stay with friends and family who have power, or make alternative accommodation arrangements.
  • Keep a torch and spare batteries handy and ensure that you have at least one telephone that does not rely on electricity for operation
  • Ensure that an alternate fuel is always available for cooking (e.g. gas for BBQ).”



Storm Update Wednesday 11th April 4:45pm

All possible Vector field staff, as well as extra crews from outside of the region, are working to restore power and respond to outages, faults, and reports of damage to the network. Work will continue into the evening where it is possible and safe to do so. 

Vector is aware of the outages the public are reporting to us, even though our outage map and app are not displaying up-to-date information. Outage response crews are prioritising jobs to restore power to critical infrastructure like network feeders (which supply power to large groups of homes and buildings) and other infrastructure like cell phone towers, water and sewage plants, and more. 

Which comes first? Restoration order 
We restore power in the following order: 
  1. Network feeders and substations which supply power to large groups of homes or buildings. 
  2. Critical infrastructure and buildings like hospitals, water and sewage plants, and airports. 
  3. Large commercial buildings and industrial plants 
  4. Residential and individual homes 
  5. Streetlights and hot water pilot lines

Vector advice during ongoing outages
  • Please stay well clear of fallen power lines or damaged electrical equipment and treat them as live at all times 
  • Avoid possible damage to electrical appliances (in the unlikely event there is a power surge when the power is restored) by switching off appliances at the wall.
  • Where possible, make plans to stay with friends and family who have power, or make alternative accommodation arrangements.
  • Keep a torch and spare batteries handy and ensure that you have at least one telephone that does not rely on electricity for operation 
  • Ensure that an alternate fuel is always available for cooking (e.g. gas for BBQ).”



Storm Update Wednesday 11th April 1:30pm

Tens of thousands of Aucklanders remain without power as Vector’s outage field crews continue to respond to outages throughout the region caused by last night’s storm.

Around 90,000 customers have had their power restored since the worst of the storm. However, there are still several hundred outages affecting 93,000 homes and businesses. It may be several days until power is restored in some areas as crews need to prioritise. We’re urging members of the public to make contingency plans should power to their homes not be restored before this evening.

We’ve had reports from some of our field staff that members of the public are taking it upon themselves to cut trees away from power poles and lines and/or moving downed lines from the roads or driveways themselves. We must stress to our customers – please, do not do this. Your safety and the safety of our field staff is our primary concern, and your actions could put yourself and others at risk. Our field staff will restore services as soon as it is possible and safe to do so. In the meantime, please always treat downed lines as live and stay well clear.

All possible Vector field staff, as well as extra crews from outside of the region, have been called in to respond to the high number of outages. The vast majority of these outages have been caused by downed trees and trees falling onto power lines. Work will continue throughout today and into the evening to restore power where it is possible and safe to do so. 

Vector is aware of the issues some customers have experienced at times reporting outages via the app or website due to the sheer number of requests to report an outage. We sincerely apologise for this. While your specific outage may not show on the outage map, Vector is aware of the outages which have been reported and we will respond to those as soon as possible.

Vector advice during ongoing outages:
  • Please stay well clear of fallen power lines or damaged electrical equipment and treat them as live at all times 
  • Avoid possible damage to electrical appliances (in the unlikely event there is a power surge when the power is restored) by switching off appliances at the wall.
  • Where possible, make plans to stay with friends and family who have power, or make alternative accommodation arrangements.
  • Keep a torch and spare batteries handy and ensure that you have at least one telephone that does not rely on electricity for operation 
  • Ensure that an alternate fuel is always available for cooking (e.g. gas for BBQ)


Storm update Wednesday 11th April 11am

Damage to the electricity network in Auckland remains extensive.

Vector’s outage field crews are aware of close to 400 outages throughout the region, affecting around 105,000 homes and businesses ranging from south of Papakura through to Wellsford. 

More than 100 field outage staff are spread throughout the region responding to lines down, faults, power outages, and other damage to infrastructure. Extra outage response crews have been brought in from outside of Auckland to assist with the extremely high number of call-outs. So far they have restored power to approximately 75,000 people. However, the damage to the network is extensive and widespread and it may be several days until power is restored in some areas.

During a power outage, please remember that the safety of the public and Vector’s contracting field staff is of primary importance at all times. They will restore services as soon as it is possible and safe to do so. In the meantime please always treat downed lines as live and stay well clear.

Work will continue throughout today and into the evening to restore power where it is possible and safe to do so. 

More than 10,000 calls were placed to Vector’s contact centre to report power outages, faults, and lines down, and Vector is following up on all reports and inquiries. We acknowledge the impact this weather event has had on many people and we thank everyone for their continued understanding and patience. 

Vector is aware of the issues some customers have experienced at times reporting outages via the app or website. We sincerely apologise for this. Please be assured our outage response crews are aware of the high number of outages throughout Auckland and will respond to them as soon as possible


Storm update Wednesday 11th April 8:30am

Vector’s outage field crews are responding to close to 200 outages throughout Auckland.

During a power outage, please remember that the safety of the public and Vector’s contracting field staff is of primary importance at all times. They will respond as soon as it is possible and safe to do so. Please always treat downed lines as live and stay well clear.

Vector’s response crews have worked through the night in hurricane-force winds of up to 140km/h to restore power to some areas, bringing power back to roughly 70,000 customers. Around 110,000 homes and businesses are still affected by ongoing outages however this number is constantly changing as power is restored. 

Work will continue this morning to assess the damage caused to power lines and other infrastructure and to restore power where it is possible and safe to do so. Extra outage field staff are being brought in from outside of Auckland to help respond to outages. However, the damage is expected be extensive and it may be several days until power is restored in some areas.

More than 10,000 calls were placed to Vector’s contact centre to report power outages, faults, and lines down, and Vector is following up on all reports and inquiries. We acknowledge the impact this weather event has had on many people and we thank everyone for their continued understanding and patience. 

For more information, please go to www.vector.co.nz/outages or to Vector’s outage app


Storm update Wednesday 11th April 6am

Strong, intense winds and heavy rain have caused widespread damage on the electricity network throughout Auckland.
 
Vector’s response crews have worked through the night to restore power to homes and businesses affected by the more than 150 outages across the region.
 
The number of customers affected is constantly changing as power is restored and new damage is caused, but more than 100,000 homes and businesses have been affected to date.
 
Work will continue this morning to assess the damage caused to power lines and other infrastructure and to restore power where it is possible and safe to do so.
 
While every effort is being made to restore power for everyone as quickly as possible, this may take some time.
 
During a power outage, please remember that the safety of the public and Vector’s contracting field staff is of primary importance at all times. They will respond as soon as it is possible and safe to do so. Please always treat downed lines as live and stay well clear.

For more information, please go to www.vector.co.nz/outages or to Vector’s outage app
 
   

See video update from our CEO Simon Mackenzie


Storm update 16 April 6:30pm

Vector's outage crews have now repaired all known damage to main supply lines in Auckland’s suburbs.

Their focus now is on repairing the localised damage affecting under 1,200 individual properties. Customers who remain without power or hot water after the main supply line to their suburb or street is reconnected should get in touch with Vector via phone or app to let us know, as there may be localised faults on individual properties.

Those crews, and others solely dedicated to restoring hot water, will continue to work 24/7 until everyone is connected.

We know that accurate estimates for power and/or hot water being restored has been a significant source of customer frustration, and we apologise for this. We’ll publish all new information as soon as we get it.

Information on where our outage crews are currently working is available here 

Updated information on restoration times is available here:

Hot water issues

Vector is aware of hot water issues throughout the region. These are separate to our power restoration work.

Vector’s Head of Network Programme Delivery, Minoru Frederiksens, offers an explanation on the process taken to restore hot water after a major power outage.

That video is available here: https://vimeo.com/264927370 

Further information on what to do if you don’t have hot water is also available here: 

Public safety messages

Our outage response crews continue to observe massive amounts of tree damage right across Auckland as we work to restore power, and weakened trees are continuing to give way. Vector would like to remind the public to please be wary of large trees or branches for the next few weeks. If you see a tree with damaged branches that haven’t come down, please alert the landowner or Auckland Council. Click her for an official advisory from Auckland Council on the issue of damaged or weakened trees.

All downed power lines should be treated as live, so please stay well away and don’t attempt to cut or move trees that are in contact with lines.

If you use medical equipment that relies on electricity you should let your power company or retailer know first. If you are not able to contact your retailer, please contact Civil Defence on 0800 22 22 00. However, if there is an immediate health threat, please contact your health provider or call 111.

In the meantime, we’re continuing to work with Civil Defence and Auckland Council to provide assistance to impacted communities where we can. 


Storm update 16 April 9am (as per update date from 15 April 7pm)

Vector's outage crews have made ongoing progress today to restore main supply lines to the majority of suburbs still without power, and to isolated power and hot water faults scattered around Auckland.
 
Vector crews will continue to work 24/7 until everyone is connected. The approximate number of those homes or businesses still without power and/or hot water due to the storm is between 500 to 1,500, but will continue to fluctuate due to weather conditions and ongoing tree fall which is causing new or additional damage.
 
The majority of those suburbs where main supply lines have been affected by the storm are expected to be restored before the morning. Customers who remain without power or hot water after their street is reconnected should get in touch with Vector via phone or app to let us know, as there may be localised faults on individual properties.
 
vector.co.nz is the best place for the latest information on which areas we’re working on. If there is no information for your area that is because no information is currently available. We know that accurate estimates for power and/or hot water being restored has been a significant source of customer frustration, and we apologise for this. We’ll publish all new information as soon as we get it.
 
Information on where our outage crews are currently working is available here.
Updated information on restoration times is available here.
 
We’d like to acknowledge the extraordinary patience of those who have been impacted. We know this is immensely frustrating but we’re working hard to fix your power and hot water and we won’t stop until it’s done.
 
Public safety messages
 
Our outage response crews continue to observe massive amounts of tree damage right across Auckland as we work to restore power, and weakened trees are continuing to give way. Vector would like to remind the public to please be wary of large trees or branches for the next few weeks. If you see a tree with damaged branches that haven’t come down, please alert the landowner or Auckland Council.
 
All downed power lines should be treated as live, so please stay well away and don’t attempt to cut or move trees that are in contact with lines.

If you use medical equipment that relies on electricity you should let your power company or retailer know first. If you are not able to contact your retailer, please contact Civil Defence on 0800 22 22 00. However, if there is an immediate health threat, please contact your health provider or call 111.

In the meantime, we’re continuing to work with Civil Defence and Auckland Council to provide assistance to impacted communities where we can. 


Storm update 15 April 12:40pm

Vector's outage crews have made ongoing progress overnight and this morning to restore main supply lines to those suburbs still without power due to the destructive wind-storm on Tuesday evening.
 
Vector crews are still focusing on larger outages in some of the more remote communities that are often connected by long single lines through rugged bush, particularly around the West Coast and North-West Coast areas of the city. Work to restore isolated power and hot water faults scattered around Auckland is also ongoing.
 
Vector crews will continue to work 24/7 until everyone is connected. The approximate number of those customers still without power and/or hot water due to the storm is currently fluctuating between 1,500 and 2,500 because of continued poor weather and ongoing tree fall, which is causing new or additional damage to existing faults.
 
For those still without power, vector.co.nz is the best place for the latest information on which areas we’re working on. If there is no information for your area that is because no information is currently available. We’ll publish all new information as soon as we get it. The scale of the wind-storm event and the multiple factors involved in each outage has meant we haven’t been able to give accurate estimates for power coming back to individual houses. We know this has been a significant source of customer frustration and we apologise for this.
 
Customers who remain without power or hot water after their street is reconnected should get in touch with Vector via phone or app to let us know, as there may be localised faults on individual properties.
 
We’d like to acknowledge the extraordinary patience of those who have been impacted. We know this is immensely frustrating but we’re working hard to fix your power and hot water and we won’t stop until it’s done.
 
Public safety messages
 
Our outage response crews continue to observe massive amounts of tree damage right across Auckland as we work to restore power, and weakened trees are continuing to give way. Vector would like to remind the public to please be wary of large trees or branches for the next few weeks. If you see a tree with damaged branches that haven’t come down, please alert the landowner or Auckland Council.
 
All downed power lines should be treated as live, so please stay well away and don’t attempt to cut or move trees that are in contact with lines.

If you use medical equipment that relies on electricity you should let your power company or retailer know first. If you are not able to contact your retailer, please contact Civil Defence on 0800 22 22 00. However, if there is an immediate health threat, please contact your health provider or call 111.

In the meantime, we’re continuing to work with Civil Defence and Auckland Council to provide assistance to impacted communities where we can.





Storm update 14 April 9pm

Vector crews have continued to work hard to restore power following the destructive wind-storm on Tuesday night.
 
Repairs to the high voltage ‘backbone’ of the network is almost completed. Work is now underway dealing with the remaining isolated faults scattered around Auckland, and on hot water faults. 
 
Vector crews are also focusing on larger outages in some of the more remote communities that are often connected by long single lines through rugged bush, particularly around the West Coast and North-West Coast areas including Bethalls Beach, Piha, Riverhead and Kaukapakapa.
 
In these areas, lines have to be repaired section by section and the extent of the damage to each section cannot be identified until the crews get to it. As a result, it has proven extremely difficult to give accurate restoration times, however it’s likely some of these areas, or parts of these areas, will not be fully restored until mid-next week due to the magnitude of the work required to remove the large numbers of fallen trees.
 
The number of homes and businesses still without power is now around 3000, which is just over 1.5% of the 180,000 homes and businesses that lost power during the wind-storm. Vector crews will work 24/7 until everyone is connected. However, continued poor weather, lightning strikes and a number of car versus pole accidents around the city have caused new outages overnight and diverted some of our resources from the storm recovery work.
 
For those still without power, vector.co.nz is the best place for the latest information on which areas we’re working on. If there is no information for your area that is because no information is currently available. We’ll publish all new information as soon as we get it. The scale of the wind-storm event and the multiple factors involved in each outage has meant we haven’t been able to give accurate estimates for power coming back to individual houses. We know this has been a significant source of customer frustration and we apologise for this.
 
We wish to remind all Aucklanders that if anyone is medically dependant or in a vulnerable situation, they should urgently contact their electricity retailer, which is the industry agreed process, or contact emergency services. In the meantime, we’re working with Civil Defence and Auckland Council to provide assistance to impacted communities where we can.
 
We’d like to thank everyone for putting up with this over the last four days. We appreciate this is immensely frustrating but we’re working hard to fix your power and we won’t stop until it’s done.
 
 As always, we want to remind customers who remain without power or hot water after their street is reconnected to please get in touch with Vector via phone or app to let us know.
 
Trees remain a hazard
 
We would note that our crews have observed massive amounts of tree damage right across Auckland as we have worked to restore power following Tuesday’s massive wind-storm and weakened trees are continuing to give way. This is a good reminder to the public to please be wary of large trees or branches for the next few weeks. If you see a tree with damaged branches that haven’t come down, please alert the landowner or Auckland Council.
 
All downed power lines should be treated as live, so please stay well away and don’t attempt to cut or move trees that are in contact with lines. Our vegetation management company is getting safely around all those sites as they can



Storm update 14 April 4pm

Crews have been continuing to work hard today. The level of network damage caused by trees across Auckland is significant - with many crew saying they have not seen this level of damage for decades. 

With this in mind it is important for us to remind everyone to take care and exercise particular caution around any large trees or branches which may come loose and fall.

Vector lines crews have so far managed well over a thousand fallen trees as they restore power to 180,000 Aucklanders.






Storm update 14 April 9am

More poor weather last night has seen some new trees come down across parts of North Shore, South and West Auckland, creating new outages. We also had overloading affect a substation in Henderson/Swanson as large loads were being brought back onto the network, impacting customers in parts of West Auckland, but was fully restored by 9:30pm.

The affected areas from the new outages overnight are largely restored now, but it shows that the impact of Tuesday’s storm is ongoing, as weakened trees give way. Numbers without power are still extremely fluid, due to the new outages and restorations mentioned above.

We hope to have a firm figure by early afternoon. Overall, progress is still expected to continue as outlined yesterday, with the backbone of the network nearly fully restored, and individual pockets of homes, and those without hot water, being progressively restored into the middle of next week.

We’ll provide numbers when we have them, and another full update this evening.


A tree falls down in Muriwai just ​ahead of restoring power.



Storm update 13 April 5:30pm

Vector has made continued good progress through the largest and most difficult outages, restoring power to over 95% of Aucklanders who lost power due to Tuesday’s storm. Our next priority is the pockets of individual homes still without power largely due to localised failures network that can’t be backfed by electricity from elsewhere.

Vector has developed the new VECTOR NETWORK MAP which provides our customers with a better understanding of where Vector’s field staff are currently working. 

The VECTOR NETWORK MAP is now available here: http://bit.ly/VectorOutageMap

Around 9,000 customers remain without power heading into the weekend. Work to repair individual faults, which includes the restoration of some hot water pilot lights, will continue over the weekend, but will likely take us well into next week.

We understand this is going to be a big disappointment to those customers affected and we are deeply sorry. All we can do is reiterate that we continue to have out-of-town field crews on to bolster our own crews and we are working around the clock to restore power as fast as possible. 

In areas where the lack of electricity is also affecting access to running water or other essential services, we are working with Civil Defence to ensure basic living needs can be met. If you are still without power, we urge you to plan for an extended time without electricity and make alternative arrangements if appropriate. 

Once again, we acknowledge the extraordinary patience and understanding of our customers and reiterate that we do know you’re waiting, and we will get to you as soon as we can.

All downed power lines should be treated as live, so please stay well away and don’t attempt to cut or move trees that are in contact with lines. Our vegetation management company is getting safely around all those sites as they can.

​Storm update 13 April 3:00pm

Vector has made good progress restoring power, with around 95% of customers restored so far. The number without power is now down to approximately 11,000. At the peak of the storm there were 180,000 without power, just two and a half days ago.

The storm damage was the worst on our network since at least 2007.

The extensive damage to the backbone of the network takes time to repair, but is critical to getting the most customers back on in the fastest time.

As we restore high voltage infrastructure, we often learn about additional localised outages.

Our next priority is the pockets of individual homes still without power due to failures on the low voltage network.

This work, and the restoration of hot water pilot lines, will take us well into next week.

This is going to be a big disappointment to those customers affected, and all we can do is reiterate that we continue to have out-of-town field crews on to bolster our own crews and ensure we can work around the clock to restore power as fast as humanly possible.

Once again, we acknowledge the extraordinary patience and understanding of our customers and reiterate that we do know you’re waiting, and we will get to you as soon as we can.

Please check our website for the most up to date outage restoration information.

All downed power lines should be treated as live, so please stay well away and don’t attempt to cut or move trees that are in contact with lines. Our vegetation management company is getting safely around all those sites as they can.



Storm update 13 April 9:00am

Vector’s crews have been working through the night to restore power, and power has now been restored to more than 90% of customers who experienced a power outage due to Tuesday night’s storm. 

The number without power is now below 15,000 as at 7AM.

There have been additional feeder outages overnight due to weather. In most cases we’ve been able to partially restore customers through isolating the fault and re-livening where possible.

Our crews are continuing to work through the list of around 500 faults, power outages, and reports of damage on the network throughout the region. We have additional crew reinforcements from outside Auckland, including from as far away as Palmerston North and Wellington. 

We acknowledge the extraordinary patience and understanding of our customers and reiterate that we do know you’re waiting, and we will get to you.

Due to the volume of individual properties without power, we are continuing to provide updates on a suburb-by-suburb level. 

As we progress through the restoration work, we prioritise getting large groups of customers back on by isolating where the individual fault lies, then back feeding power to the group. This leaves smaller numbers of customers without power, and their individual faults to be resolved.  

In many cases we have managed to restore power to the majority of those customers in each suburb by isolating faults and back feeding where possible. However, individual faults remain, and we know there are still customers without power in these areas. For those remaining customers still without power, it is likely due to individual faults, meaning that while we continue to prioritise isolating and back feeding larger groups of customers, power is unlikely to be restored before end of day tomorrow or even longer. Those customers should make contingency plans, if they haven’t already done so.

The conditions in these suburbs is subject to change and this list will be continually updated. Please be assured that if you live in a suburb that is not on this list – we are aware of the power outages in your area. We will continue to provide updates as soon as we can. 

We are working as fast and as hard as we can to remove trees, repair damage, and restore power where it is safe and possible to do so.



Storm update 13 April 5:45am

Vector’s crews have been working through the night to restore power, and the number without power is now down to 17,000 as at 5AM.

There have been additional feeder outages overnight. In most cases we’ve been able to partially restore customers through isolating the fault and re-livening where possible.

Our crews are continuing to restore power. Reinforcements are here from outside Auckland, including from as far away as Palmerston North and Wellington.

We acknowledge the extraordinary patience and understanding of our customers and reiterate that we do know you’re waiting, and we will get to you.

All downed power lines should be treated as live, so please stay well away and don’t attempt to cut or move trees that are in contact with lines. Our vegetation management company is getting safely around all those sites as they can.



Storm update 12 April 8:00pm

22,570 customers are currently without power and/or hot water. Vector’s outage field staff are progressing steadily through the list of more than 600 faults, power outages, and reports of damage on the network throughout the region.

The latest weather forecast for this evening is improved, with the possibility Auckland will be spared the worst of the strong winds and thunderstorms earlier forecast. Provided it remains safe to do so, Vector crews will continue working overnight to restore power.

Due to the volume of individual properties without power, we are continuing to provide updates on a suburb-by-suburb level. We have also assigned default Estimated Restoration Times for customers whose jobs are yet to get a confirmed restoration estimate due to the high volume of work still remaining. This default restoration time is the end of Saturday night. It is our firm intention to restore power and/or hot water to the vast majority ahead of that time, but it means we should avoid having to continually move the estimate, which has been a source of understandable concern from our customers.

Please be assured that if you live in a suburb that is not on this list – we are aware of the power outages in your area. We will continue to provide updates as soon as we can.
 
We sincerely apologise for this and we understand our customers’ frustration. We are working as fast and as hard as we can to remove trees, repair damage, and restore power where it is safe and possible to do so.
 




Storm update 12 April 6:00pm

Vector’s outage response crews have restored power to more than 80% of customers who experienced a power outage due to Tuesday night’s storm.

25,286 customers are currently without power and/or hot water. Vector’s outage field staff are progressing steadily through the list of more than 600 faults, power outages, and reports of damage on the network throughout the region.

The number of customers without power and the number of jobs our outage staff need to respond to is subject to change, especially considering the possibility of inclement weather due to hit Auckland from 5pm tonight. Metservice is reporting a thunder, lightning and tornado risk for the region tonight. Our outage field staff are committed to restoring power for customers as fast as they can, and will continue to work through weather conditions up until the point it is unsafe to do so.

The conditions in these suburbs is subject to change and this list will be continually updated. Please be assured that if you live in a suburb that is not on this list – we are aware of the power outages in your area. We will continue to provide updates as soon as we can.

The following is a list of suburbs where we are aware of storm-related outages. New suburbs added to the list have been highlighted in blue.





Storm update 12 April 2:00pm

Vector’s outage response crews are continuing to restore power throughout Auckland where it is possible and safe to do so.

They’ve restored power to more than half of those customers who were experiencing an outage last night. 35,000 customers are currently without power and/or hot water. Vector’s outage field staff are progressing steadily through the list of more than 690 faults, power outages, and reports of damage on the network throughout the region.

The number of customers without power and the number of jobs our outage staff need to respond to is subject to change, especially considering the possibility of inclement weather due to hit Auckland from 5pm tonight. Metservice is reporting a thunder, lightning and tornado risk for the region tonight. Our outage field staff are committed to restoring power for customers as fast as they can, and will continue to work through weather conditions up until the point it is unsafe to do so.

The following is a list of suburbs where we are aware of storm-related outages.

The conditions in these suburbs is subject to change and this list will be continually updated. Please be assured that if you live in a suburb that is not on this list – we are aware of the power outages in your area. We will continue to provide updates as soon as we can.






Storm update 12 April 11:30am

We have managed to restore power a few thousand more cusomters since 9am today, with power still to be retored to 41,000 homes. As we get the number of outages down our outage field staff are able to provide more concrete estimated restoration times (ETRs). We will be able to provide these ETRs via our website, app and the media as soon as we have them. These will be subject to change, especially if the weather deteriorates later day.

Currently many of the outages registered on the app may be showing a default ETR time of up to 48 hours. While our staff is working as hard as they can to restore power as soon as possible, it may be several days until power and/or hot water is restored for some areas. Those without power should make contingency plans should they experience an extended outage.

We sincerely apologise for this and we understand your frustration. We are working as fast and as hard as we can to remove trees, repair damage, and restore power where it is safe and possible to do so.

Just a reminder that more strong wind is forecast for later today and this may create new outages as trees weakened by Tuesday night’s storm come down.

It may also hamper our restoration efforts if work becomes too dangerous in high winds. 

For those with power but without hot water, please note that our priority is to restore power first, with hot water restoration after that.

We will update this page as soon as estimated restoration times come to us from our field crews, and will keep updating that information throughout the day.

Because of the bad weather forecast, these ETRs may move back, but we will do our level best to prevent this.

Storm update Thursday 12 April 9am

Good morning,

Crews working overnight and this morning have made good progress repairing lines. About half the customers without power at 4pm Wednesday have got it back now.

However, if you are still without power, please consider making alternative plans in case restoration takes a few more days.

Unfortunately, more strong wind is forecast for later today and this may create new outages as trees weakened by Tuesday night’s storm come down.

It may also hamper our restoration efforts if work becomes too dangerous in high winds. 

For those with power but without hot water, please note that our priority is to restore power first, with hot water restoration after that.

Thank you once again for your incredible patience and resilience. We are looking forward to getting power back on to everyone as soon as we can. 












Which comes first? Restoration order 

We restore power in the following order: 
1.    Network feeders and substations which supply power to large groups of homes or buildings. 
2.    Critical infrastructure and buildings like hospitals, water and sewage plants, and airports. 
3.    Large commercial buildings and industrial plants 
4.    Residential and individual homes 
5.    Streetlights and hot water pilot lines

Vector advice during ongoing outages
•    Please stay well clear of fallen power lines or damaged electrical equipment and treat them as live at all times 
•    Avoid possible damage to electrical appliances (in the unlikely event there is a power surge when the power is restored) by switching off appliances at the wall.
•    Where possible, make plans to stay with friends and family who have power, or make alternative accommodation arrangements.
•    Keep a torch and spare batteries handy and ensure that you have at least one telephone that does not rely on electricity for operation 
•    Ensure that an alternate fuel is always available for cooking (e.g. gas for BBQ).”



Storm Update Wednesday 11th April 8pm

Customers in Auckland without power should be making contingency plans for outages to extend through to tomorrow as outage numbers remain high due to widespread and extensive damage.
 
We have restored power to more than 100,000 customers has been restored since the worst of the storm hit. However, 79,500 homes and businesses remained without power heading into the evening the region, and it will be a few days until power and/or hot water is restored to all areas.
 
All possible Vector field staff, as well as extra crews from outside of the region, are working to restore power and respond to outages, faults, and reports of damage to the network. Work will continue into the evening where it is possible and safe to do so.
 
Vector is aware of the outages the public are reporting to us, even though our outage map and app are not displaying up-to-date information. Outage response crews are prioritising jobs to restore power to critical infrastructure like network feeders (which supply power to large groups of homes and buildings) and other infrastructure like cell phone towers, water and sewage plants, and more.
 
Which comes first? Restoration order
We restore power in the following order:
  1. Network feeders and substations which supply power to large groups of homes or buildings.
  2. Critical infrastructure and buildings like hospitals, water and sewage plants, and airports.
  3. Large commercial buildings and industrial plants
  4. Residential and individual homes
  5. Streetlights and hot water pilot lines

Vector advice during ongoing outages
  • Please stay well clear of fallen power lines or damaged electrical equipment and treat them as live at all times
  • Avoid possible damage to electrical appliances (in the unlikely event there is a power surge when the power is restored) by switching off appliances at the wall.
  • Where possible, make plans to stay with friends and family who have power, or make alternative accommodation arrangements.
  • Keep a torch and spare batteries handy and ensure that you have at least one telephone that does not rely on electricity for operation
  • Ensure that an alternate fuel is always available for cooking (e.g. gas for BBQ).”



Storm Update Wednesday 11th April 4:45pm

All possible Vector field staff, as well as extra crews from outside of the region, are working to restore power and respond to outages, faults, and reports of damage to the network. Work will continue into the evening where it is possible and safe to do so. 

Vector is aware of the outages the public are reporting to us, even though our outage map and app are not displaying up-to-date information. Outage response crews are prioritising jobs to restore power to critical infrastructure like network feeders (which supply power to large groups of homes and buildings) and other infrastructure like cell phone towers, water and sewage plants, and more. 

Which comes first? Restoration order 
We restore power in the following order: 
  1. Network feeders and substations which supply power to large groups of homes or buildings. 
  2. Critical infrastructure and buildings like hospitals, water and sewage plants, and airports. 
  3. Large commercial buildings and industrial plants 
  4. Residential and individual homes 
  5. Streetlights and hot water pilot lines

Vector advice during ongoing outages
  • Please stay well clear of fallen power lines or damaged electrical equipment and treat them as live at all times 
  • Avoid possible damage to electrical appliances (in the unlikely event there is a power surge when the power is restored) by switching off appliances at the wall.
  • Where possible, make plans to stay with friends and family who have power, or make alternative accommodation arrangements.
  • Keep a torch and spare batteries handy and ensure that you have at least one telephone that does not rely on electricity for operation 
  • Ensure that an alternate fuel is always available for cooking (e.g. gas for BBQ).”



Storm Update Wednesday 11th April 1:30pm

Tens of thousands of Aucklanders remain without power as Vector’s outage field crews continue to respond to outages throughout the region caused by last night’s storm.

Around 90,000 customers have had their power restored since the worst of the storm. However, there are still several hundred outages affecting 93,000 homes and businesses. It may be several days until power is restored in some areas as crews need to prioritise. We’re urging members of the public to make contingency plans should power to their homes not be restored before this evening.

We’ve had reports from some of our field staff that members of the public are taking it upon themselves to cut trees away from power poles and lines and/or moving downed lines from the roads or driveways themselves. We must stress to our customers – please, do not do this. Your safety and the safety of our field staff is our primary concern, and your actions could put yourself and others at risk. Our field staff will restore services as soon as it is possible and safe to do so. In the meantime, please always treat downed lines as live and stay well clear.

All possible Vector field staff, as well as extra crews from outside of the region, have been called in to respond to the high number of outages. The vast majority of these outages have been caused by downed trees and trees falling onto power lines. Work will continue throughout today and into the evening to restore power where it is possible and safe to do so. 

Vector is aware of the issues some customers have experienced at times reporting outages via the app or website due to the sheer number of requests to report an outage. We sincerely apologise for this. While your specific outage may not show on the outage map, Vector is aware of the outages which have been reported and we will respond to those as soon as possible.

Vector advice during ongoing outages:
  • Please stay well clear of fallen power lines or damaged electrical equipment and treat them as live at all times 
  • Avoid possible damage to electrical appliances (in the unlikely event there is a power surge when the power is restored) by switching off appliances at the wall.
  • Where possible, make plans to stay with friends and family who have power, or make alternative accommodation arrangements.
  • Keep a torch and spare batteries handy and ensure that you have at least one telephone that does not rely on electricity for operation 
  • Ensure that an alternate fuel is always available for cooking (e.g. gas for BBQ)


Storm update Wednesday 11th April 11am

Damage to the electricity network in Auckland remains extensive.

Vector’s outage field crews are aware of close to 400 outages throughout the region, affecting around 105,000 homes and businesses ranging from south of Papakura through to Wellsford. 

More than 100 field outage staff are spread throughout the region responding to lines down, faults, power outages, and other damage to infrastructure. Extra outage response crews have been brought in from outside of Auckland to assist with the extremely high number of call-outs. So far they have restored power to approximately 75,000 people. However, the damage to the network is extensive and widespread and it may be several days until power is restored in some areas.

During a power outage, please remember that the safety of the public and Vector’s contracting field staff is of primary importance at all times. They will restore services as soon as it is possible and safe to do so. In the meantime please always treat downed lines as live and stay well clear.

Work will continue throughout today and into the evening to restore power where it is possible and safe to do so. 

More than 10,000 calls were placed to Vector’s contact centre to report power outages, faults, and lines down, and Vector is following up on all reports and inquiries. We acknowledge the impact this weather event has had on many people and we thank everyone for their continued understanding and patience. 

Vector is aware of the issues some customers have experienced at times reporting outages via the app or website. We sincerely apologise for this. Please be assured our outage response crews are aware of the high number of outages throughout Auckland and will respond to them as soon as possible


Storm update Wednesday 11th April 8:30am

Vector’s outage field crews are responding to close to 200 outages throughout Auckland.

During a power outage, please remember that the safety of the public and Vector’s contracting field staff is of primary importance at all times. They will respond as soon as it is possible and safe to do so. Please always treat downed lines as live and stay well clear.

Vector’s response crews have worked through the night in hurricane-force winds of up to 140km/h to restore power to some areas, bringing power back to roughly 70,000 customers. Around 110,000 homes and businesses are still affected by ongoing outages however this number is constantly changing as power is restored. 

Work will continue this morning to assess the damage caused to power lines and other infrastructure and to restore power where it is possible and safe to do so. Extra outage field staff are being brought in from outside of Auckland to help respond to outages. However, the damage is expected be extensive and it may be several days until power is restored in some areas.

More than 10,000 calls were placed to Vector’s contact centre to report power outages, faults, and lines down, and Vector is following up on all reports and inquiries. We acknowledge the impact this weather event has had on many people and we thank everyone for their continued understanding and patience. 

For more information, please go to www.vector.co.nz/outages or to Vector’s outage app


Storm update Wednesday 11th April 6am

Strong, intense winds and heavy rain have caused widespread damage on the electricity network throughout Auckland.
 
Vector’s response crews have worked through the night to restore power to homes and businesses affected by the more than 150 outages across the region.
 
The number of customers affected is constantly changing as power is restored and new damage is caused, but more than 100,000 homes and businesses have been affected to date.
 
Work will continue this morning to assess the damage caused to power lines and other infrastructure and to restore power where it is possible and safe to do so.
 
While every effort is being made to restore power for everyone as quickly as possible, this may take some time.
 
During a power outage, please remember that the safety of the public and Vector’s contracting field staff is of primary importance at all times. They will respond as soon as it is possible and safe to do so. Please always treat downed lines as live and stay well clear.

For more information, please go to www.vector.co.nz/outages or to Vector’s outage app
 

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