Our network is made up of towers, poles, transmission lines, underground and overhead cables, and substations. We build our assets to keep you at a safe distance from high voltage electricity, but it is important that you know how to stay safe when you are around them. This page provides information on how to stay safe when you are out and about near our assets. If you are undertaking work around our network, please head to the working around our assets page.
If you see transmission lines are down
Downed lines are extremely dangerous - make sure people and animals are as far as possible from them, never approach or touch them and call 111 immediately.
If a transmission line comes into contact with your vehicle while you are in it, do not exit the vehicle until a rescue worker has told you it is safe to do so. If it is an extreme emergency, such as your vehicle is on fire, and you do have to get out, do so without touching metal and ground at the same time and jump as far as you can.
Take note of your surroundings – look up, beneath and around
If there is a transmission line above you or tower near you, take note of it. You do not have to touch transmission lines to be electrocuted – just being close can be very dangerous. Always keep yourself, your vehicle, flying objects (including kites, drones and model airplanes) or anything you are touching at least 4 meters away from 110kV lines and at least 6 meters away from 220kV lines. If you’re unsure what voltage the transmission line is, stay at least 6 meters away.
Do not climb our structures or enter restricted areas
Do not climb transmission towers, hang anything on towers or poles, and stay away from our restricted areas. Electricity can jump to you and your equipment if you are not at a safe distance from transmission lines which can lead to serious injury or death.
Our network runs underground too
Some utilities and electricity assets are not visible and are underground. Making contact with a live power, gas or telecommunications cable could cause bodily harm and damage to property – the safest thing to do is to ensure there is nothing there before you start. If you are undertaking work that requires digging underground, use beforeUdig - a free service that helps you determine the presence of underground assets. For more information, visit the beforeUdig website.
Safety around water
If you’re around water, fishing or out on the boat - it’s important to be aware of overhead lines.
If you’re fishing near transmission lines, be careful when you’re casting. Casting can result in the fishing line coming into contact with overhead transmission lines or their components and becoming a conductor itself. Our transmission lines are high voltage, which means that even if your line doesn’t touch ours, it could still act as a conductor if it gets close resulting in serious injury.
If you're boating or sailing near transmission lines, take care not to let your mast or any aerials come close to overhead lines. You’ll need to exercise the same care when towing your boat on land. As a rule, keep your boat and aerials at least 6 metres away from the lines at all times.
There is also a Cable Protection Zone (CPZ) in Cook Strait, where Transpower’s submarine power and fibre-optic telecommunications cables lie on the seabed. FOR ANY VESSEL OF ANY SIZE, FISHING AND ANCHORING ARE ILLEGAL WITHIN THE CPZ. We urge all boat users to pay attention to the protected areas and be mindful of the rules when in a CPZ. Protecting these cables is in everyone's best interests. More on the Cook Strait CPZ