Power distribution board failure at Northcote data centre, New Zealand
Oct 2010Published 12 Oct 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor
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Companies named in this entry: Vector
What happened
On 5 October 2010, around midday, one of the four power distribution boards at Orcon's Northcote data centre in New Zealand failed. The equipment had to be replaced to restore services. Orcon's core network stayed operational, but some customers could not access the internet for around 30 minutes. Some co-location customers were affected for longer before all were back in service. The same day, Orcon customers also suffered a separate earlier outage caused by a problem with Vector's communications network, which was resolved by 2.30am.
Contributing factors
The source does not state the cause of the distribution board failure.
Lessons learned
- Operators should check which equipment each power distribution board feeds, so that a single board failure can be assessed for its full impact.
- Co-location customers may need clearer restoration timelines and communication when shared power equipment has to be replaced.
- Spare or replacement distribution equipment should be available on site or under rapid supply contract to shorten the time to restore service.
More lessons on outages, backup supply and restoration, from every incident on the register.
Source
Published 2026-10-12. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.
