Thunderstorms cause mass power outages in Taranaki and Whanganui, power lines fall on Hāwera property

Ominous clouds gather above Papaiti Gin Distillery in Whanganui ahead of Sunday’s storm. Photo / Adrian Rumney

An intense thunderstorm on Sunday caused mass power outages across the Taranaki and Manawatū-Whanganui regions with power lines falling at a Hāwera property.

A Powerco spokeswoman said at the height of the storm about 1100 properties in Taranaki were without power, and about 3pm on Sunday there were 200 properties without power in Whanganui-Manawatū.

There were currently only a handful of outages still affecting the Whanganui-Manawatū region – none of which relate to Sunday’s weather event.

MetService meteorologist Ngaire Wotherspoon said there were about 7000 lightning strikes across the country on Sunday, with the vast majority in the Taranaki and Manawatū-Whanganui regions.

Short, intense bursts of hard rain fell across the region during the convective storm.

In Taranaki, about 2pm to 3pm, some areas had up to 30ml of rainfall in an hour.

“There was a very active front moving up the country yesterday ... it really kept that momentum up when it went to the North Island in those western and central areas.

“We saw frequent lightning strikes and thunderstorms, and a lot more widespread than we are used to around here.”

A Powerco field crew attended an incident on Matangarara Rd, Hāwera, just before 2pm on Sunday following the intense thunderstorm.

Two powerlines from the same power pole were down at the property and the resident had reported hearing sparking noises.

“The faultperson notified emergency services and, for safety, ensured that those on the property kept themselves and animals at least 10 metres away from the downed lines.”

A Fire and Emergency NZ spokesman said fire services were called to the Hāwera address at 1.47pm and assisted Powerco in ensuring the property was made safe.

Repairs were made and full power restored, Powerco said.

Wotherspoon said the disturbed westerly flow was a similar trend to the pattern of weather in the last month but it was an especially convective situation on Sunday.

Metservice released a weather warning advising there could be localised damage affecting power and internet connections, and that if people saw severe weather approaching to take shelter immediately.

“The effects were quite noticeable and it did end up being quite an impactful situation.”

What to do if you see a fallen power line

Powerco advises if people see downed power lines, it is important to:

• Stay at least 10m away from the lines and poles - that’s about the length of a bus.
• Call 111 immediately or Powerco’s emergency number 0800 27 27 27.
• Downed lines should always be treated as live.

* This story has been corrected since first published. Power lines came down at a Hāwera property but did not fall on the house.

Eva de Jong is a reporter for the Whanganui Chronicle covering health stories and general news. She began as a reporter in 2023.