Northern New Zealand Plunged into Darkness After Transmission Tower Collapse

A fallen power pylon lies in a farm paddock near Kumeu north of Auckland, New Zealand, Thursday, June 20, 204. Much of the northernmost part of New Zealand is without power after a transmission tower toppled over in a rural area on Thursday, with no firm indication for when it will be restored.

Much of northernmost New Zealand is without power after a transmission tower unexpectedly toppled in a rural area on Thursday. The national grid operator, Transpower, has not provided a timeline for full power restoration.

The 220-kV tower fell in a field, causing widespread outages in the remote Northland region, home to 195,000 people. The tower carried two high-capacity circuits crucial for the area's power supply. Approximately 180,000 residents are affected, according to Radio New Zealand.

While some power has been restored through a lower-capacity network, more than 70,000 homes and businesses remain without electricity, as reported by the two power companies servicing Northland.

In response, the region's emergency management agency has urged residents to conserve water, and New Zealand police have advised against non-essential travel.

This outage follows just over a year after New Zealand’s power grid suffered its worst damage during a deadly cyclone in February 2023, which cut power to Northland and devastated farmland. Local politicians have long advocated for increased government funding to address the region's aging infrastructure.