Trees cause around a quarter of all power cuts each year on our network, which is about 70,000 of our customers losing power annually.
The good news is with proper tree maintenance, most of these outages can be avoided. That’s why we’ve joined forces with the Electricity Networks Association (ENA) to develop an online awareness campaign that highlights the importance of trimming trees.
Aimed at members of the public across the country, the campaign launched today with advertising appearing on YouTube, Google and Facebook over the next two months.
When overgrown, trees interfere with power lines and make it difficult for crew to restore power, our Senior Vegetation Manager Colin Winch says. In high winds and storms, branches get blown into lines, causing outages.
“Tree owners can help us prevent these problems by simply planting trees away from powerlines, choosing smaller tree species and ensuring trees are regularly maintained by an approved contractor.”
For advice about looking after your trees, including any you see growing suspiciously close to power lines, please visit www.cutsafely.org.nz
