More than 2000 homes in Southland and Otago remain without power. Photo: RNZ / Katie Todd
Residents in rural Southland and Otago have been urged to get in touch with PowerNet, if they remain without power.
The latest figures show 1290 homes remain without power in Southland and 1100 in Otago, with 630 restored on Saturday.
The South Island was battered by severe winds that tore roofs of buildings, downed trees, and toppled and twisted infrastructure like power lines, irrigators and water tanks.
A state of emergency remains in place for Clutha and Southland.
PowerNet said substantial damage had occurred to the electricity infrastructure, mainly from falling trees.
Chief executive Paul Blue said people living in remote areas should contact the company.
"We have access to smart meters in the Southland area, but not so much the Otago area, so there are some areas we can't see if the power is on or off.
"If you don't have power, we're asking to please get in contact - we don't want anyone sitting there without power needlessly.
"We are at that stage where we really are collecting the information of those who don't have power, so we can sort it out."
A fallen tree on top of a garage after severe South Island winds. Photo: RNZ / Andrew Johnstone
Blue said getting power restored to rural areas would take longer.
"The majority of the outages are in the rural areas, which were the hardest hit, where the repairs to individual homes are the bits that are taking longer. Any of the urban areas are generally back on. "
Blue said the storm was significant.
"It wasn't expected, the ferocity of it, and probably what made this one so much bigger is that it hit all of Southland and then into Otago. I mean, also it hit up into Canterbury as well, so it was the sheer scale of this one, with such strong winds that took out so many trees,
"Most of the outages that we are dealing with are because of trees into lines."
Anyone who would like to report an outage can do so by completing the online form at www.powernet.co.nz or giving PowerNet a call on 0800 808 587.
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
