A branch on the line, or a line on the ground?
Stay at least 10 metres away from any fallen or damaged line and call 111, then Vector on 0508 VECTOR (0508 832 867). Treat every line as live, including the one to your house, and keep children and pets well back.
Living in the bush
Houses among the trees
Titirangi houses are built within the native bush of the Waitākere Ranges, and some were raised on poles so they could be built without harming tree roots.
Protected vegetation
Titirangi sits in the Waitākere Ranges Heritage Area, where subdivision is limited to avoid breaking up the bush. The trees stay, so the wiring has to work around them.
Slips
At about 6.40pm on 27 January 2023 a landslip brought down the Coastguard building in Titirangi, and another slip washed away 30 metres of water pipe.
Floods
In the March 2017 storm, 43 Titirangi homes flooded. After the 2023 storms the Waitākere ward had 1,347 affected buildings.
Owners, mostly
In the Waitākere Ranges board area, 86.7% of homes are separate houses and 25.4% of households rent.
The line from the road to your house
Vector says the service line from the street to a home is the owner's responsibility. In Titirangi that line often crosses trees, so a falling branch can damage it while the street stays powered. If the neighbours have power and you don't, call Vector first; if they find the fault is on your service line, you'll need a registered electrician.
Some owners move a troublesome overhead service line underground. That's a job to plan with an electrician and Vector together. See underground power.
Outdoor wiring on a slope
Power to a studio, a pump shed or deck lights down the hill is common here. Soil movement can stretch or crush buried cable, and it rarely shows on the surface. If an RCD keeps tripping after rain, get the outdoor circuits tested before anything else.
If we had a Titirangi section
We'd get a licensed electrician to walk the property once, note every outdoor cable route and the service line, and draw it on a site plan. After the next storm you'll know exactly what to check, and so will they.
Want a specialist to sort it?
Tell us the job and your postcode. We match the licence-checked local electrician who does this kind of work, and they call you. No ring-around, and your number goes to them alone.