Cyclone Dovi has brought extremely challenging weather conditions, with a storm on two fronts and wind gusts of over 150 km/h, which has led to widespread power outages across nearly every part of Auckland. The number of households impacted by power outages has changed rapidly throughout the day, as the two fronts passed over the region. At the worst point this afternoon, around 50,000 customers were without power for a brief time, while later this afternoon that number was down to around 14,000 (in total, Auckland has around 580,000 electricity customers). This number continues to change as the crews assess each area and are able to get a clearer picture of the extent of the damage.

Vector’s GM Operations and Maintenance Marko Simunac said, “Our crews have been working around the clock to make sure areas are safe, before they can finish assessing the damage and carry out repairs.

“The volume of outages, and the location of some in rural areas that can be harder to access, means full restoration in some cases may take a few days.

“We want to thank Aucklanders for their patience and reassure them that we are working as quickly as we safely can
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“As we continue our work we ask the public to please stay well away from downed lines and call 111 if they see any.

“Our crews are working with extra Covid-19 safety precautions in place, such as smaller crew bubbles. This helps keep our crews safe, but it could mean that outages take longer than usual to resolve.”

Vector’s Outage Centre shows current and planned power outages and is accessible at vector.co.nz/outages. People can register their address and sign up for updates via text or email.