Canterbury Power Outages
New Zealand has no open live feed, so the quickest way to check Canterbury is the official outage map from Orion, MainPower and Alpine Energy or another operator below.
Orion serves Christchurch and central Canterbury, MainPower the north through to Kaikōura, EA Networks Mid Canterbury and Alpine Energy South Canterbury. The February 2011 earthquake initially cut power to about 80% of Orion's customers. MainPower's unplanned interruptions in the year to March 2026 were dominated by adverse weather, at 323 of 528 minutes. Meridian's six Waitaki hydro stations, including Benmore, the country's second-largest hydro station, lie on and around the region's southern boundary.
Who to contact in Canterbury
The lines companies responsible for faults in Canterbury. Search your address on an official outage map to confirm which one is yours.
| Lines company | Official outage map | Report by phone | Total customers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orion | Open ↗ | 0800 363 9898 | |
| MainPower | Open ↗ | 0800 30 90 80 | |
| Alpine Energy | Open ↗ | 0800 66 11 77 | |
| EA Networks | Open ↗ | 0800 430 460 |
If you see a fallen power line, stay 10 metres away and call 111.
Canterbury on the New Zealand map
Boundaries: Natural Earth (public domain).
Weather warnings
MetService (Meteorological Service of New Zealand) lists no active warnings for this area.
Largest places in Canterbury
- Christchurch
- Selwyn
- Waimakariri
- Timaru
- Ashburton
Nearby regions
Reliability in Canterbury
Average minutes without power and interruptions per customer, as published by the regulator or operator
| Lines company | Time without power | Interruptions | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orion | 1 hr 43 min | 0.67 | 2026 |
| MainPower | 11 hr 11 min | 2.26 | 2026 |
| Alpine Energy | 4 hr 56 min | 1.82 | 2026 |
| EA Networks | 2 hr 20 min | 1.12 | 2026 |
Definitions vary by source, for example in how major storms are treated, so these figures aren't a ranking. See each operator's page for the exact scope.
Major power outages affecting Canterbury
Totals may cover every area affected, not only this one. Full accounts are on the New Zealand page.
Christchurch earthquake
23 February 2011150,000 customers affected
Orion said about 80% of its customers initially lost power, and that about 150,000 customers, 70% of Christchurch households, were still without power that night.
Source: RNZ, Power out in most of Christchurch (23 February 2011)
Southern and central windstorm
24 October 2025114,300 connections (derived) affected
Source: Commerce Commission, EDB ID Interruptions dataset (Schedule 10a raw interruption records, CSV)
Canterbury power outage FAQ
Who do I contact about a power outage in Canterbury?
Orion (0800 363 9898), MainPower (0800 30 90 80), Alpine Energy (0800 66 11 77) and EA Networks (0800 430 460) repair the local network in Canterbury, which includes Christchurch, Selwyn and Waimakariri.
What was the biggest power outage in Canterbury?
Christchurch earthquake (23 February 2011) affected about 150,000 customers. Orion said about 80% of its customers initially lost power, and that about 150,000 customers, 70% of Christchurch households, were still without power that night.
How reliable is the power supply in Canterbury?
Orion reported 1 hr 43 min of interruption per customer in 2026, and MainPower reported 11 hr 11 min of interruption per customer in 2026, and Alpine Energy reported 4 hr 56 min of interruption per customer in 2026. Scope differs between sources, so treat these as a guide and not a ranking.
Cite this page
You may reuse our derived data under CC BY 4.0 with attribution. Weather warnings are from MetService under CC BY 4.0. Reliability data is from the New Zealand Commerce Commission under CC BY 4.0.
PowerOutageTracker.com. "Canterbury Power Outages." Accessed 4 November 2026. https://poweroutagetracker.com/world/new-zealand/canterbury
Sources (5)
- Stats NZ, Subnational population estimates: At 30 June 2025 (Table 1, regional council areas, provisional)
- Stats NZ, Subnational population estimates: At 30 June 2026 (territorial authority areas, provisional)
- Commerce Commission, Electricity distributor information disclosure dataset (EDB ID Full, 1 September 2026): Schedule 8(i) average ICPs and Schedule 10(i) reliability, disclosure year to 31 March 2026
- RNZ, Power out in most of Christchurch (23 February 2011)
- Meridian Energy, Hydro power stations