Power Outage Wellington: Your House or the Network?

Quick answerIf your neighbours and the streetlights are dark too, it is almost certainly a network outage: check Wellington Electricity's known outages page (or Electra's on the Kāpiti Coast) and wait for the lines company. If only your house, or part of it, has lost power, look at your switchboard for a tripped main switch, breaker or RCD. A fault that will not reset is a job for an electrician.

Electrician checking a home switchboard after a power cut in Wellington

A power cut feels the same from the inside whoever caused it, but the fix and the person you call are completely different. A street outage belongs to the lines company. A fault on your side of the meter belongs to you and your electrician, and no amount of waiting will bring the power back.

This guide walks through the two minute test that tells them apart, who runs the lines in each part of the region, why only half the house might be dark, what to do at the switchboard, how long food lasts in a fridge with no power, and the signs that mean you should stop and get help.

How do I check if there is a power outage in my area?

Look outside first. If the houses around you, the streetlights or the traffic lights are also off, the outage is on the network and your own wiring is probably fine. Then check the lines company's outage information to see whether the fault is already known.

Wellington Electricity publishes a known outages page for Wellington, the Hutt Valley and Porirua. It says there may be a short delay before an unplanned outage appears, and that the page shows outages affecting more than 10 properties, so a fault on a short run of houses may not be listed yet. If you cannot see your street and the neighbours are also dark, report it.

If your neighbours have power and you do not, the problem is almost always inside your property, at the switchboard, the meter box or the cable from the street. Move on to the switchboard checks below.

Neighbours and streetlights off: network outage, check the lines company page.
Only your house off: check your main switch, breakers and RCDs.
Part of your house off: usually one tripped breaker or RCD.

Who do I call: Wellington Electricity, Electra or my retailer?

Network faults go to the lines company for your area, not your retailer. Wellington Electricity runs the local lines network for Wellington, the Hutt Valley and Porirua, and Electra is the lines company for the Kāpiti Coast and Horowhenua. They own the poles, cables and transformers, and their crews fix faults on them.

Wellington Electricity's 24 hour Electricity Emergency Line is 0800 248 148. Electra lists its outage information and fault contact on electra.co.nz. Your retailer, the company that sends the bill, is the contact for account questions, moving house and disconnections for other reasons, and it can pass a fault on, but it cannot send a line crew itself.

Some situations skip both and go straight to 111: a line down across a road or a fence, sparks or fire, or anyone who has had a shock. WorkSafe says to stay away from fallen wires, because they may be live, and to call the local electricity supply company so it can disconnect and repair the line. If the fault is on your side of the meter, that is where our team at Cheeky's Electrical comes in, through our emergency electrician service.

What you see	Likely cause	Who to contact
Whole street dark	Network fault or planned shutdown	Wellington Electricity, or Electra on Kāpiti
Fallen line, sparks or fire	Damaged network or wiring	111, then the lines company
Only your house dark, main switch on	Fault at the meter, mains or service cable	Lines company first, then an electrician
Part of the house dark	Tripped breaker, RCD or blown fuse	Reset once, then an electrician if it trips again
Bill, account or reconnection after moving	Account matter	Your power retailer

Why has the power gone off in only part of my house?

Partial power loss nearly always means one protective device on your switchboard has done its job. A circuit breaker, an RCD or a fuse has switched off the circuits it guards, while the rest of the house carries on as normal.

An RCD often covers several circuits at once, so one appliance with a fault can take out the kitchen sockets, a bedroom and the lights in the hall together. On an older board with rewireable fuses, a blown fuse wire does the same thing for its own circuit.

Less often, the cause sits outside the board. Homes with three phase supply can lose one phase on the network, which drops some circuits and leaves others running. A loose connection in the meter box or at the main switch can also make power come and go. Both need a professional, and the second is our work rather than the lines company's.

Hill homes in suburbs such as Brooklyn and Karori often have long service cables and sub-boards in garages or sleepouts, so it is worth checking every board on the property, not just the main one by the front door.

Power off at your place only?

If the street has power and you do not, the fault is on your side of the meter. Cheeky's Electrical can find it, make it safe and fix it.

0800 432 532 Book Online Get a quote

What should I do if my main switch or RCD has tripped?

Turn off or unplug what was running on the affected circuits, then reset the switch once. If it holds, plug things back in one at a time to find the culprit. If it trips straight away with nothing connected, leave it off and call an electrician.

WorkSafe's guidance on circuit breakers is the same: switch off lights and unplug appliances on the faulty circuit, push the lever back on, and call a licensed electrician if it keeps tripping. Never hold a breaker on, tape it, or swap a fuse wire for a heavier one. Those devices are the only thing stopping a fault from overheating cable inside your walls.

There is one important exception. If the trip happened while water was coming into the house, after flooding, or during a storm that drove rain into a meter box or outdoor fitting, WorkSafe advises not resetting breakers or RCDs until an electrician has checked them, because of the risk of shock. If an RCD on your board trips over and over, our guide on why an RCD trips in wet weather explains the usual causes.

How long will food stay safe in the fridge and freezer?

Keep the doors shut and most food will hold for a while. Northland Regional Council's civil defence guidance says an unopened fridge keeps food cool for at least 2 hours, a half full freezer holds for up to 24 hours and a full freezer for about 48 hours.

The same guidance warns that once food has sat at 5°C or above for more than 2 hours, the risk of bacteria growing rises sharply, and it suggests not using frozen food that has thawed or chilled food that has warmed. Hard cheese, butter, raw eggs in their shells, fruit and vegetables are the usual exceptions. The rule of thumb is simple: if in doubt, throw it out.

What should I switch off while the power is out?

Turn off lights and unplug appliances, especially anything that heats. WorkSafe's advice after a natural event or emergency is to switch off lights and unplug appliances and devices during an outage, both so nothing is left running unattended and to protect them from a surge when the power returns.

Leave one lamp switched on so you know when supply is back. Heaters, ovens, irons and hair straighteners are the ones to unplug first, because they restart at full power the moment the network comes back. Computers, TVs and modems are worth unplugging too; our article on power surges and storms covers how to protect them for the longer term.

Do not run a petrol generator inside a garage or connect one to your house wiring with a homemade lead. Feeding power back into the network is dangerous for line crews working on what they believe is a dead line, and a proper changeover switch must be installed by an electrician.

When should I call an electrician instead?

Call an electrician when the neighbours have power and you do not, when something on your board will not reset, or when you can smell burning, hear buzzing or see scorch marks. Those are faults on your side of the meter, and the lines company will not fix them.

Wellington's wind makes some faults more common here than in calmer cities. NIWA's climate summary records gusts over 63 km/h at Wellington Airport on about 166 days a year, and that weather drives rain into exterior lights, outdoor sockets and meter boxes. Exposed hill and coastal homes, from Kelburn to Island Bay, see more of it than sheltered streets.

Cheeky's Electrical covers Wellington City, the Hutt Valley, Porirua and the Kāpiti Coast. We trace the fault rather than just resetting it, make the installation safe, and give you a written price before any bigger work such as switchboard upgrades. You can find the team for your area on our pages for electricians in Central Wellington or electricians on the Kāpiti Coast, or book online.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can the lines company fix a fault inside my house?

No. Wellington Electricity and Electra are responsible for the network up to your connection. Faults in your switchboard, wiring, sockets or appliances are the property owner's responsibility and need a licensed electrician.

Why do I get a planned outage notice?

Lines companies sometimes switch off parts of the network to maintain or upgrade equipment safely. If a notice gives a time window and you are unsure when the power will return, check the lines company's website or ask your retailer, and plan around fridges and home offices.

My power came back but some sockets are still dead. Why?

A surge or brief interruption as supply returns can trip an RCD or breaker. Check the board and reset once. If the circuit will not hold, or nothing on the board looks tripped, an electrician should test it.

Is a flickering light a sign of an outage?

Flickering across the whole street usually points to the network. Flickering on one light or one circuit inside your home points to a loose connection or failing fitting, which WorkSafe lists among the warning signs of wiring problems.

Should I report an outage if my neighbours already have?

If the outage is already shown on the lines company's page, there is usually no need. If it is not listed, or you can see damage such as a fallen line or a broken pole, report it.