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New Plymouth, Taranaki

Electricians in New PlymouthWind, salt and the lines company to call.

If you need an electrician in New Plymouth, tell us the job and we'll match it with one licence-checked local electrician who does that work often. For a damaged line, a leaning pole or burn marks at your switchboard, Powerco's 24/7 emergency number is 0800 27 27 27, or call 111.

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The white Te Rewa Rewa Bridge in New Plymouth framing snow-capped Mount Taranaki.
Photo: russellstreet, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0, cropped

New Plymouth's electrical weather report

Powerco owns the network

Powerco's Taranaki network includes 'the large regional centre of New Plymouth', fed from grid exit points such as Carrington and Huirangi. Its own pricing paper notes the chance of extreme weather and corrosion of assets along the coastline.

Tornado country

NIWA says Taranaki averages one tornado a year, with a severe one about once in four years, most often in August. On 5 July 2007 a swarm of about seven hit near Oakura, Egmont Village, Inglewood, Waitara and Bell Block, bringing down trees and lines and cutting power to about 8,000 homes.

Ex-cyclones

As ex-Cyclone Gita hit on 20 February 2018, nearly 23,000 Taranaki properties lost power. At 6am on 14 February 2023, in Cyclone Gabrielle, 10,781 Powerco customers in Taranaki were off, mostly from wind and trees bringing lines down.

Salt on the coast

Homes within 500 m of the coast sit in exposure zone D under NZS 3604:2011, the high-risk zone for wind-blown sea spray, and BRANZ notes a zone E for breaking surf beach fronts.

The bit of wire that's yours

Powerco says you own the overhead service line or underground cable that runs from your property boundary to the house, and maintaining it is your job. In a district this windy, that line matters. A branch across it, a sagging span or a pole on your section that's started to lean are all worth acting on early.

If your service line is damaged, Powerco's advice is to contact an electrician. The electrician arranges a temporary disconnection with an approved contractor so the repair can be done safely. Trees are similar: in most cases the tree owner keeps them clear of lines, and anything within 4 metres of a line has to be trimmed by an approved contractor.

Burn marks, smells or crackling at the board

Powerco says don't touch it and call 0800 27 27 27. If a pole or line is down, treat it as live, keep at least 10 metres back (about a bus length), and call 111 if anyone's in danger.

What New Plymouth homes ask electricians for

Outdoor fittings that don't last. Near the sea, salt gets into outdoor lights, exterior power points and heat pump outdoor units. Ask for fittings rated for the location, and get corroded ones replaced before they fail.

Storm repairs and checks. After a big blow, the work is often a damaged service line, a fitting that took water, or a board that's been tripping since. Anything that's been wet stays off until a licensed electrician has checked it.

Growth. The 2023 Census counted 36,264 dwellings in New Plymouth District, up 6.9% on 2018. New homes and extensions mean new circuits, and WorkSafe says every new lighting or power point circuit from the switchboard in a home needs RCD protection.

What we'd do in New Plymouth

Walk out to the boundary and look at your service line and any pole on your section. If it sags, rubs a tree or the pole leans, get an electrician to look before winter's storms do the job for you. Close to the beach, we'd also have outdoor fittings checked every few years.

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 fixes the power line between the street and my New Plymouth house?

Usually you do. Powerco says the service line from your boundary to the house is yours to maintain. Contact an electrician, who arranges a temporary disconnection so it can be repaired safely.

The meter shows nothing and the street lights are on. What now?

Powerco says that if your meter shows nothing, the fuse on the pole or pillar box at your boundary may have blown. Report it to your retailer or on Powerco's website, and check you're not behind on your bill or in a planned outage first.

Is it worth getting a sparky in after a storm?

Yes, if anything got wet, a breaker keeps tripping, or your service line took a hit. Don't switch flood-affected circuits back on until a licensed electrician has checked them.

Ready for a sparky in New Plymouth?

Pop in your postcode and answer a few quick questions. We find the licensed local specialist for the job.

Related help

Helpful next

Electricians in TaranakiPowerco's emergency line, storm history, solar and connection timing, and finding a sparky in Taranaki.Emergency electricians111, the lines company or an electrician? What to do first in an electrical emergency at home.Meter boards and mainsWho owns the meter, the meter board and the line to your house, and who to call when something's wrong.Outdoor and garden lightingPlug-in garden kits or hard-wired outdoor lights, cable in the garden, ponds, and what's licensed work.RCDs (residual current devices)What an RCD does, why new circuits need one, how to test it, and what a nuisance trip is telling you.Electrical repairs and fault findingDead power points, tripping and flickering: what to check safely, and what a repair should come with.

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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