Vector has today launched the first phase of a long-term programme to give Aucklanders access to secure, accurate and near real-time information about network outages.

A new online map is now live on the company’s website and capable of showing which suburbs are affected by planned and unplanned ‘high-voltage’ power outages at any given time.

The next step will be to include near real-time information about smaller scale ‘low-voltage’ outages that can show disrupted energy supply right down to the individual street level.

Vector spokesperson Andrea Robertson says the online outage map is just the first step in a bigger long-term strategic initiative to dramatically improve the way Vector communicates with its customers, with further improvements set to roll out incrementally over the coming months. 

“We want our customers to have easy access to network information so they know what’s happening if their power goes out, including roughly how long it will take to get everything back up and running,” she said. 

In future, Andrea says the company will have more flexibility over how it shares network information with customers, including the ability to send automated communications whenever there is a planned or unplanned outage, regardless of whether the problem is on the high-voltage or low-voltage network.

“We know any network outage is very disruptive so we want our customers to be immediately kept in the loop through the communications channel that best suits them. 

“We’re excited to launch the first phase of an improved online outage map and we look forward to adding a lot more communications functionality to our entire customer communications system in future,” Andrea said.

The long-term programme to improve Vector’s customer communications platforms began after the April storm, which many will remember as one of the worst to hit Auckland in decades with winds of up to 214km causing widespread damage to power lines across the city. 

“Unfortunately, the unprecedented surge in customers contacting us during the storm caused the communications platforms to fail, leaving many of our customers out of the loop on what was happening,” Andrea said.  

“Since April, we have been doing a lot of work ‘under the hood’ with our systems and processes. 

With the long-term programme of work now well underway, Vector intends to make important network data available to customers in near real-time, and have it stored securely in a central location – so information can be reliably and securely fed to customers through their channel of choice. 

“Our mantra is simply ‘when we know, the customer knows’”, she said.  

In addition to the online map, Vector has today released a series of videos to educate customers about how they can prevent, prepare for and stay safe during network outages.

To see the educational information with videos, click here. 
To check out Vector’s new online outage map, click here.