Top Energy has linked the outage issues to a February 13 lightning strike and solar load. Photo / Top Energy
Top Energy has linked the outage issues to a February 13 lightning strike and solar load. Photo / Top Energy
Power cuts in Kaitāia and the wider Far North are becoming more frequent, according to local businesses, who say the outages are disrupting trade and creating uncertainty.
The Kaitāia Business Association (KBA) said it has been contacted by multiple members concerned about recent disruptions across the district.
KBA chairman Josh Kirby said the association had reached out to electricity provider Top Energy seeking clarity on the cause of the outages, whether they are connected and if any further disruptions are likely.
“Our aim is to ensure the concerns of the business community are clearly understood, and we’ll share any updates with members as we receive them.”
“These disruptions have had a real impact on some businesses, affecting sales, customer experience, and in some cases, equipment and systems.”
For some businesses, the outages have hit at the worst possible times.
Mj’z Seafood and Whānau Kai owner Maryjane Manukau said the power cuts were increasingly occurring during busy lunch periods, forcing them to stop service mid-trade.
“It does enough damage for us as a business that customers are turned away because we can’t serve them.”
She said in the past two months there had been between six and eight outages, often without warning.
She said the lack of notice was one of the biggest concerns, particularly for food businesses that have to manage stock.
Maryjane Manukau and her partner Tane own the Mj’z Seafood and Whānau Kai in Kaitāia. Photo / Denise Piper
“You go straight into panic mode thinking about your freezers. We’re actually trying to cut down now from ordering and making sure that our freezers aren’t as full as what it usually is.”
Because the outages happen without warning, she said equipment is often shut down improperly, raising concerns about potential damage.
“When it goes off, everything shuts down. It’s an instant cut to our coffee machines, Eftpos and other systems, which isn’t the proper way to shut them down.”
“We have to think about our fridges and freezers too, because sudden cuts can cause issues with our machinery, so we keep an eye on those things.”
She was aware that other businesses were affected and had been in touch with the KBA to raise their concerns.
“It’s quite funny because the first thing you think about is, oh, did I pay the power? So you look across at every other shop and you see that they’re in the same boat ... it will be interesting to see what coming months will bring.”
While some businesses have been hit hard, others say they have been more fortunate.
Orana Motor Inn employee Melissa Barrett said the outages had been happening about once a week, but were usually short-lived and had not significantly impacted guests.
“It’s never longer than half an hour, and it’s mostly during the day, so we haven’t had too much of an issue.”
A spokesperson for Top Energy said the outages were linked to a series of events beginning with a lighting strike on February 13, which damaged equipment at the Kaitāia substation and affected about 12,500 customers.
“Subsequent outages related to running the network in a backup configuration with high levels of solar installed on the network. Most outages were less than 30 minutes,” the spokesperson said.
“We apologise to consumers affected by these outages while we transition to a new operating regime with 65MW of solar embedded into the network in Te Hiku.”
