What sets Kāpiti apart
Electra is your lines company
Electra runs the lines for the Kāpiti Coast and Horowhenua. For a power cut or damaged equipment, call 0800 LOST POWER (0800 567 876). Before you ring, Electra asks you to check your main switch: if a fuse has blown, the problem is likely inside the house.
Older households, growing towns
The district had 55,914 people in 23,097 dwellings at the 2023 Census, with a median age of 48.8 and 26.7% aged 65 or older. Paraparaumu, the largest town, had 11,661 dwellings. Growth since the 1980s has come largely from Wellingtonians moving up to retire.
Plenty of empty homes on census night
On census night 2023, 3,060 private dwellings on the coast were unoccupied. A bach that sits empty for weeks needs smoke alarms that work and an RCD that won't leave the fridge off without anyone knowing.
Thunderstorms, floods and the odd grid fault
Paraparaumu averages 6 thunderstorm days a year, the most in the region. In October 2003 a flood in Paekākāriki left eight houses uninhabitable. On 20 May 2025 about 29,600 Electra connections from Paekākāriki to Ōtaki lost power for around a quarter of an hour when grid supply failed.
Raumati and the eroding coast
Kāpiti Coast District Council says Raumati is the most vulnerable area to coastal erosion on the coast, by the number of private properties that could be affected.
The electrical jobs Kāpiti households ask about
Lighting and alarms for older homeowners. Brighter hallway and outdoor lights, switches where you need them, and interconnected smoke alarms so one going off sets off the rest. Fire and Emergency recommends long-life photoelectric alarms in every bedroom, hallway and living area.
EV chargers. Electra asks owners to tell it before installing an EV charger, so it can check there's capacity in that part of its lines. Gen Less says a wall charger needs its own sub-circuit and a Type B RCD, and must be installed by a registered electrician.
Solar. For systems of 10 kW or less, the installer applies to Electra and only installs once it's approved. Solar PV is high-risk work, so on top of the CoC it gets an independent inspection.
Checks after storms and floods. Anything wired in that's been under water stays off until an electrician has tested it.
What we'd do on the coast
For a house that's often empty, we'd start with the smoke alarms and RCDs, so a fault doesn't go unnoticed. For a home you live in full time, we'd look at the switchboard before adding a charger or solar, because both lean on it.
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.