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Napier, Hawke's Bay

Electricians in NapierArt Deco streets, older wiring, flood-prone flats.

We match Napier electrical jobs with one licence-checked local electrician who does that kind of work regularly. Unison owns the lines here. When the power goes, Unison suggests checking your switchboard and then contacting Unison first, on 0800 2 UNISON (0800 2 86476).

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Aerial view of Napier, Bluff Hill and the port along the Hawke's Bay coastline.
Photo: Phillip Capper, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0, cropped

Napier's homes are older than they look

The 1931 earthquake meant virtually all of Napier's 4.2 hectare central business area had to be rebuilt from scratch, mostly in a broadly Art Deco style, with reinforced concrete under most of it. The houses tell a similar story. Most homes on Napier Hill were built in the 1920s, and the 2023 Census counted 2,319 dwellings there across Bluff Hill and Hospital Hill. The Art Deco Trust classes Marewa's 1930s houses as 'Spanish Deco'.

A house that old may have been partly rewired over the years, or not at all. Rewireable fuses, no RCDs, rubber or early insulated cable and a shortage of power points are what electricians look for first in homes of that age. Original character light fittings can often stay, with safe new wiring behind them.

Napier facts that matter for your power

Lines company: Unison

Unison handles every connection in Napier, from homes to new subdivisions. It points out that an electrician can't check its network, so if the fault is on Unison's side, it's Unison you need.

Redclyffe and Gabrielle

In Cyclone Gabrielle, floodwater from the Tutaekuri River inundated Transpower's Redclyffe substation. Unison says losing that key grid hub caused significant and prolonged outages, especially in the Napier area.

The November 2020 flood

Over 240 mm of rain fell in less than 20 hours on 9 November 2020. Maraenui, Napier South and Pirimai were worst hit, and 117 homes were damaged beyond repair. In a May 2010 storm, slips in central Napier forced some homes to be evacuated.

The fault underneath

GeoNet says the Hikurangi subduction zone, New Zealand's largest plate boundary fault, lies about 15 km beneath Napier and can produce earthquakes of magnitude 8 or greater.

No hot water? It might not be the cylinder

Many hot water cylinders are switched on and off by a ripple control signal sent over the lines. After Gabrielle, Unison had most of urban Napier reconnected by 21 February 2023, but damage also left a ripple control plant out of service, which affected hot water across the city.

So if the power's on and the water's cold, check with your retailer whether there's a known hot water control issue before paying for a new element. If it's just your house and the controlled circuit is fine, then it's a job for an electrician.

If water gets into your Napier home

  1. Switch off at the main switch, if it's dry and safe to reach

    Don't stand in water to do it. If the board itself is wet, leave it and keep everyone away.

  2. Keep off anything that's been wet

    Power points, appliances, the hot water cylinder and underfloor wiring all stay off until a licensed electrician has tested them.

  3. Lines down? 111 first

    Unison asks you to call the Police on 111 first for fallen power lines, then Unison. Stay at least 10 metres back.

If we lived on the hill

In a 1920s or 1930s Napier house, we'd have an electrician check the wiring and the board before any renovation, so the walls only come open once. On the flat, in Maraenui, Napier South or Pirimai, we'd ask them to look at how low the power points and the board sit too.

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.

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Questions

Straight answers.

Who do I call in a Napier power cut?

Check your switchboard for tripped switches or blown fuses, then contact Unison. Unison suggests going to it first because an electrician can't fix a fault on the network side.

Do I have to rewire my old Napier house because of the new wiring rules?

No. From 12 November 2026 electricians have to work to the updated rules. For what's already in the walls, WorkSafe lets a safe installation stay and be repaired. Rewire because the wiring is unsafe or worn, not because of a date.

How long does a Unison connection take?

Unison says to allow up to six weeks for a simple connection and up to twenty weeks for a complex one. Your electrician completes the request with you, and Unison issues the ICP number and approval to liven.

Ready for a sparky in Napier?

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Related help

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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.

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