Substation fault triggers mass power outage in Tauranga, New Zealand
EIR-0784Provisional entry. Published from first reports. This entry is rechecked automatically and updated when more sources appear. Next update: 17 September 2026.
A fault at a substation on New Zealand's national grid caused a major power outage in Tauranga and the wider Western Bay of Plenty area on the evening of 13 October 2022. National grid operator Transpower said the outage resulted from a substation fault and put the number of properties affected at 35,000. Distribution company Powerco told the reporting outlet that 42,184 properties across Tauranga and the wider Western Bay were affected in total, and that a separate outage an hour earlier, caused by trees on lines, cut power to more than 10,000 further properties. Crews worked overnight and all customers were reconnected by about 1.20am. Power was also out to 74 properties in Whanganui, due to be restored at around the same time; the source does not say whether that outage was connected.
Transpower attributed one outage to a fault at a grid substation. Powerco attributed a separate, earlier outage in the same period to trees contacting power lines. The substation involved was not named and no further cause detail was reported.
- Major network nodes benefit from alternate routing or redundancy so supply can be maintained while a faulted asset is repaired.
- Vegetation contact with overhead lines remains a recurring outage cause and needs ongoing proactive line clearance.
- Where transmission and distribution operators each hold part of the picture, prompt joint communication helps customers understand multi-cause outage events.
Published 2026-09-15. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.