Picton's power, past and present
From DC to AC
Picton's first electricity, started by the borough council in September 1917, was a 230/460 volt DC system run from a Pelton wheel on the Waitohi River. The Marlborough Electric Power Board took over in 1947 and rewired the town to 230/400 volt three phase AC between 1947 and 1950.
Marlborough Lines runs it now
Urgent faults, such as no power, part power or lines down, go to Marlborough Lines on 03 577 7007, 24/7. It asks you to check your main switchboard before reporting no power.
Storms in the Sounds
In the August 2022 floods about 2,000 Marlborough Lines customers had outages over 48 hours, while engineers worked on slips around Picton. On 23 October 2025 strong winds cut power to more than 20,000 of its customers. A tornado at Waikawa in April 2011 tore the roof off at least one house.
An older town
Picton, including Waikawa, had 4,812 people in 2,154 dwellings at the 2023 Census, and 32.7% of residents were 65 or older. Across Marlborough, 25.96% of households didn't own their home.
The jobs that make sense in Picton
RCDs and a safer switchboard. In an older home, adding RCDs, the switches with a test button that cut power when current leaks, is the single most useful safety upgrade.
Lighting and alarms for later life. Brighter lights on steps and steep paths, switches by the bed, and interconnected long-life smoke alarms.
Caring for a bach. Check smoke alarms each visit, and think about which circuits should stay on while you're away. A licensed electrician can rearrange circuits so the fridge or a security light isn't on the same RCD as an outdoor socket that might trip it.
Solar. Marlborough Lines needs a connection application before solar or a battery goes in. From 11 May 2026 its default export limit for homes is 10 kW, or 5 kW in congestion-managed areas and 2 kW on single wire earth return lines.
What we'd do in Picton
For a home you live in, we'd get RCDs on every circuit and smoke alarms that are easy to test, then work on lighting. For a bach, we'd ask the electrician to set up the circuits so a single trip can't knock out the fridge while you're away.
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.