Sparkies aim to call you within the hour.
Get matched

Your region

Electricians in the Bay of PlentyGeothermal air, tornadoes and a fast-growing coast.

Three lines companies run the Bay of Plenty's power: Powerco around Tauranga and the western Bay, Unison in Rotorua, and Horizon Networks in the eastern Bay. All three ask you to report an ordinary power cut to your retailer, and a line down is a 111 call. For work in your home, we'll match you with one licence-checked local electrician who does that kind of job.

Who looks after the lines

Powerco: Tauranga and the western Bay

Tauranga, Mount Maunganui, Pāpāmoa, Te Puke, Katikati and Ōmokoroa. Emergency line 0800 27 27 27. Powerco says the service line from your boundary is yours to maintain, and your retailer usually owns the meter.

Unison: Rotorua

For a fallen line, call 111 first, then 0800 2 86476. Unison warns that electricity can travel through soil, water or metal up to 8 to 10 metres from a line on the ground.

Horizon Networks: the eastern Bay

The Whakatāne, Ōpōtiki and Kawerau districts. Urgent faults, 24 hours: 0800 467 496 (0800 HORIZON). Its Outages app tracks planned and unplanned cuts.

Geothermal air is hard on copper

Unison says hydrogen sulphide from steam vents is very corrosive to many of its assets around Rotorua. BRANZ found copper the most vulnerable metal in Rotorua's geothermal air, corroding heavily even where hydrogen sulphide was low. Copper is what wiring, terminals and earth connections are made of.

The coast isn't immune either: at BRANZ's Tauranga test sites, copper corroded at least one category faster than steel or zinc.

Tornadoes, floods and slips

One or more tornadoes hit Tauranga at about 1.30am on 19 April 2026, damaging homes in Ōtūmoetai, Maungatapu, Welcome Bay and the CBD. In January 2026, Tauranga City Council recorded 199.3mm of rain on the 21st and 42 landslides across Mauao. In the eastern Bay, the Rangitāiki River breached a stopbank at Edgecumbe in April 2017 and more than 300 homes were damaged.

After a flood, don't switch anything back on that's been in water until a licensed electrician has checked it. If a line is down, Horizon says to stay at least 10 metres away, call 111, and not touch anything touching the line, even a branch.

Growth, solar and busy substations

Tauranga grew from about 48,000 people in 1976 to 152,844 at the 2023 Census, and Pāpāmoa grew 26.1% in the five years to 2023. Powerco describes the Golden Sands development there as an energy-sharing community, with solar on homes and a community battery.

Powerco lists security constraints at its Pāpāmoa, Katikati and Ōmokoroa substations, and says solar export can be limited where transformers are near capacity. Planning solar or a big new load like an EV charger? Ask the electrician to check with Powerco first.

Your area, and the national rules

We have pages for Tauranga, Rotorua and Whakatāne, plus Mount Maunganui, Pāpāmoa, Te Puke and Katikati.

New Zealand lets an owner-occupier do a little electrical work in a home they own and live in, unpaid, but the limits are narrow. The switchboard and meter box are never included, and any new wiring has to be inspected and connected by a licensed electrical inspector. WorkSafe NZ publishes the guidance, and we'd still leave it to a licensed electrician (what you can do yourself).

Where we'd start

In Rotorua, have an older switchboard checked for corrosion before you add anything new to it. On the coast, ask about export limits and spare board space before solar or a charger goes in.

Want a specialist to sort it?

Tell us the job and your postcode. We match the licence-checked local electrician who does this kind of work, and they call you. No ring-around, and your number goes to them alone.

Get matched

Pick your area

Cities and towns in Bay of Plenty

Electricians in TaurangaSolar, coastal fittings and new connections on Powerco's lines: electrical help matched to your part of Tauranga.Electricians in RotoruaGeothermal corrosion, Unison's outage advice, thunderstorms and the rental jobs that keep Rotorua sparkies busy.Electricians in WhakatāneHorizon Networks' urgent faults line and app, Edgecumbe's flood and quake, and Eastern Bay electrical jobs.

Questions

Straight answers.

The power's on but there's no hot water. Who do I call in Rotorua?

Unison asks Rotorua households to go to their retailer first when the power or hot water is out. If the retailer finds nothing wrong on the network side, the problem is at your place, and an electrician can track it down.

Does storm or flood damage mean my wiring needs checking?

If water got into the walls, ceiling or switchboard, or a line was pulled off the house, yes. Leave those circuits off until a licensed electrician has looked. The EWRB says a Certificate of Compliance may be needed for an insurance claim, so keep the one you get for the repair.

Related help

Helpful next

Electricians in TaurangaSolar, coastal fittings and new connections on Powerco's lines: electrical help matched to your part of Tauranga.Electricians in RotoruaGeothermal corrosion, Unison's outage advice, thunderstorms and the rental jobs that keep Rotorua sparkies busy.Electricians in WhakatāneHorizon Networks' urgent faults line and app, Edgecumbe's flood and quake, and Eastern Bay electrical jobs.Emergency electricians111, the lines company or an electrician? What to do first in an electrical emergency at home.Switchboard upgradesOld fuses, no RCDs or no room for a charger: when to upgrade, and the certificates and inspection to expect.What electrical work can I do myself?The narrow homeowner exemption in NZ: who it covers, what the EWRB and WorkSafe agree on, and what's always licensed.

Where this information comes from

Rules change, so check with the EWRB, WorkSafe or Tenancy Services if something matters to your job. How we write and check these pages.

Get matched with a sparky