Northpower has delayed all non-essential maintenance on its electricity network in Kaipara and Whangarei.

Lines crews will only be completing essential work throughout the COVID-19 response – with all non-essential planned shutdowns postponed at this stage and a focus on reducing outage times where possible.

Northpower has put in place numerous measures to ensure it keeps the power flowing to its customers in the Kaipara and Whangarei Districts and ensure the ongoing reliability of the electricity network - and the safety of staff and community during this Level 4 response.

Northpower Network General Manager Josie Boyd says the company is committed to providing a safe and reliable electricity network during these difficult and uncertain times for our community.

“All but essential field crews, network control staff, and a small number of critical support roles are now working from their homes, however, we are fully functional and our teams are here to help. So please call our Customer Services Team on 0800 667 847 for assistance, or in the event of a fault in Whangarei or Kaipara regions phone 0800 10 40 40,” says Mrs Boyd.

“All our essential functions will continue as normal. Our operations centre continues 24/7 providing oversight of the network and dispatching crews to where they are needed. Our customer team are on the phones and monitoring our Facebook page to respond to any queries you may have.

“We will continue to undertake critical network maintenance with a focus on minimising interruptions, in order to avoid unplanned outages and we’ll keep you informed along the way.

“We are committed to doing our part to support the COVID-19 lockdown, both by minimising the staff we have out there, and ensuring the lights stay on,” says Mrs Boyd.

“Our crews and office staff have implemented new ways of working to ensure they are safe and reduce their interaction with each other and with the public. This includes working in small crews, keeping distances from other workers, splitting start and finish times and physically splitting working locations.

“You can help us by keeping at least two metres from any of our staff – for example if they need to attend a fault at your home or when passing a work site.”

Mrs Boyd says Northpower will continue to review these restricted activities as the situation evolves. Planned shutdowns are listed at northpower.com.