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Electricians in MarlboroughSunshine, the Sounds and a single grid connection.

One lines company, Marlborough Lines, runs the power across Marlborough, from Blenheim and Picton out to the Sounds. Its urgent fault line, 03 577 7007, takes outages, part power, lines down and trees on lines, 24/7. For the wiring inside your home, tell us what's going on and we'll match you with one licence-checked local sparky who does that kind of work.

Marlborough Lines at a glance

Urgent faults, 24/7: 03 577 7007

Check your main switchboard before you report no power. Non-urgent faults go through its online form, watched Monday to Friday, 8am to 4:30pm.

One way in from the grid

The whole network is fed from a single grid exit point near Springlands, through 16 zone substations.

Baches and the Sounds

A supply that's been disconnected for more than six months needs a Certificate of Verification before it's reconnected. Worth knowing before you reopen a holiday place.

Quakes, floods and wind

The magnitude 6.6 quake near Seddon on 16 August 2013 cut power to about 4,000 Marlborough properties, all back by the next afternoon. After the 2016 Kaikōura earthquake, Seddon had power again by the next morning, but Ward still had neither power nor water late on 15 November.

In the August 2022 floods about 2,000 Marlborough Lines customers had outages, and nearly 500 were still off on 21 August, mostly in the Sounds. On 23 October 2025, strong winds cut power to more than 20,000 customers, most of them back shortly after midday.

If lines are down, Marlborough Lines says to keep people and animals at least 10 metres away, and to stay inside your vehicle if lines are on it. After a quake, get an electrician to check any damage inside the house before you switch everything back on.

Sun, solar and new connections

Blenheim averages 2,475 sunshine hours a year, the most of any New Zealand town or city, NIWA says. Marlborough Lines needs a connection application before solar or a battery is installed. Since 11 May 2026 its default export limit is 10 kW, but 5 kW in congestion-managed areas and 2 kW on single wire earth return (SWER) lines.

Building? Standard connections take about 4 to 6 weeks to livening and complex ones about 16 to 24, and nothing is livened until it's certified and inspected (new connections).

Which certificate should you get?

Low-risk workGeneral workHigh-risk work
For exampleReplacing a switch, power point or RCDNew circuits, sub-boards, rewiresMains work, solar PV, a higher-capacity switchboard
PaperworkElectrical Safety CertificateCertificate of Compliance plus an ESCCoC, ESC and a Record of Inspection from a licensed electrical inspector

Local pages

Those rules are the same nationwide (certificates explained). For more local detail, see Blenheim and Picton.

What we'd do in Marlborough

Find out the export limit for your address before you size a solar system, because 2 kW and 10 kW make for very different setups. Got a bach in the Sounds? Have the wiring looked at before summer, not in the middle of it.

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.

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Cities and towns in Marlborough

Electricians in BlenheimSolar export limits, Marlborough Lines' faults line, the Wairau Fault and the jobs Blenheim homes ask for.

Questions

Straight answers.

Can I trim a tree near a power line?

Not within 4 metres of a line without a Close Approach Permit from Marlborough Lines. Tree owners are generally responsible for keeping trees clear of lines, and Marlborough Lines pays for a qualifying first cut or trim.

Who tells me about a planned outage?

Your retailer. Marlborough Lines says your power company will let you know about a planned outage that affects you, and if someone in the house relies on medical equipment, tell your power company now.

Related help

Helpful next

Electricians in BlenheimSolar export limits, Marlborough Lines' faults line, the Wairau Fault and the jobs Blenheim homes ask for.Electricians in PictonSafety upgrades for older homes, bach checks and storm outages in Picton, on Marlborough Lines.New power connections and supply upgradesElectrician, lines company, retailer: who does what for a new connection, and how long it can take.Emergency electricians111, the lines company or an electrician? What to do first in an electrical emergency at home.Electrical certificates in New ZealandWhich certificate you get for which electrical job, when it's due, and what to do if it never arrives.Electrical inspectionsInspections the law requires and safety checks you choose: who does them, and what you get at the end.

Where this information comes from

Rules change, so check with the EWRB, WorkSafe or Tenancy Services if something matters to your job. How we write and check these pages.

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