Parts of Auckland may not have power for several days in the wake of last night's brutal storm, Vector says.
More than 100,000 customers still have no power, and field crews from the energy company are responding to nearly 200 outages across the city, a spokesperson said.
"Vector's response crews have worked through the night in hurricane-force winds of up to 140km/h to restore power to some areas, bringing power back to roughly 70,000 customers.
"Around 110,000 homes and businesses are still affected by ongoing outages, however this number is constantly changing as power is restored."
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The company received more than 10,000 calls last night about power cuts, lines down and faults with the network. Crews are out assessing the damage this morning, and restoring power where it is safe to do so.
"Extra outage field staff are being brought in from outside of Auckland to help respond to outages. However, the damage is expected be extensive and it may be several days until power is restored in some areas."
"During a power outage, please remember that the safety of the public and Vector's contracting field staff is of primary importance at all times. They will respond as soon as it is possible and safe to do so," the spokesperson said.
"Please always treat downed lines as live and stay well clear."
The spokesperson thanked people for their "continued understanding and patience".