About MainPower
Welcome to MainPower, the electricity distribution company for North Canterbury.
With a century-long legacy, we take great pride in owning, operating, and maintaining the essential infrastructure of poles, wires, and underground cabling that powers homes and businesses throughout our network.
We’re here to help. Get in touch if you need help. Or, check out our FAQs.
About MainPower
MainPower is the electricity lines company serving the communities of Waimakariri, Hurunui, and Kaikōura. With a century-long legacy, we take great pride in owning, operating, and maintaining the essential infrastructure of poles, wires, and underground cabling that powers homes and businesses throughout our network.
With a commitment to safety and reliability, MainPower ensures a secure electricity supply to over 44,000 connections, positively impacting the lives of the people who call North Canterbury home.
From bustling urban centres like Rangiora and Kaiapoi to the picturesque farmland of Hurunui, the renowned wine country of the Waipara Valley, and the iconic tourist destinations of Hanmer Springs and Kaikōura, MainPower plays a vital role in supporting the diverse needs of our region.
Our history
In 1916, electricity arrived in North Canterbury when the Public Works Department constructed a hydro-electric branch to bring power to the Eyre County. To manage the growing demand for electricity in the region, in 1928 the North Canterbury Electric Power Board was formed, and charged with two specific tasks:
To coordinate to the best advantage the differing reticulation systems taken over from the three counties, and from the public works department.
To extend the electricity supply to the un-reticulated portions of the above three counties and to the Oxford and Ashley counties.
After 65 years serving the Waimakariri, Hurunui and Kaikōura regions, in 1992, the Energy Companies Act required the North Canterbury Electric Power Board to reform into a commercial power company. To achieve this, in March 1992, The North Canterbury Electric Power Board was dissolved and MainPower New Zealand Limited assumed its responsibilities for supplying electricity to North Canterbury.
In 1992, MainPower had three business units – MainPower Network, MainPower Commercial and MainPower Contracting. MainPower also operated an appliance store selling whiteware in Rangiora, which was eventually purchased by Farmers.
More than 30 years later, MainPower has grown with its communities, delivering a safe and reliable electricity supply to more than 43,500 homes and businesses across a geographic area of over 11,000 square kilometres.
Our vision
Our vision: create a smarter future to deliver local value
This vision underscores MainPower’s commitment to innovation and sustainability. By creating a smarter future, we aim to harness advanced technologies and forward-thinking strategies to benefit the local community. Our focus on delivering local value highlights MainPower’s dedication to enriching and supporting the communities of Waimakariri, Hurunui and Kaikōura.
Our strategy
MPowered Future is our strategy to tackle the evolving electricity sector. While MainPower remains committed to ensuring a safe and reliable supply of electricity to the region, the influence of emerging technologies and shifting customer preferences is changing how we plan and build our network and associated services.
Rather than just reacting to change, MainPower is actively seeking opportunities to lead change from within the industry, investigating new ways forward. MPowered future is about looking ahead and preparing MainPower for the energy sector of the future. To try and understand what that could be, we need to keep challenging the norms and questioning what could happen in the next 10, 20 and even 30 years.
The four pillars of our MPowered Future Strategy are:
- An engaged community
- Customer-focused organisation
- Decarbonising our place
- Create a sustainable future
Our values
MainPower’s values underpin everything we do. They define who we are and what we strive to achieve for our communities.
We’re here to help
If you need some assistance or advice, please get in touch with our team.
