Almost 30,000 homes in Northland are currently without electricity following a power outage that began at 11:19 PM on Friday. The affected properties are located in Whangārei and Kaipara, according to Northpower, the local power lines company.

"We are aware of an outage affecting this area, and we have field staff on their way to investigate," a representative from Northpower said. They urged residents who may have witnessed or heard anything unusual before the outage to report it by calling 0800 10 40 40.

Residents in the affected areas are advised to prepare for at least an hour of disconnection while investigations take place. Northpower attributed the outage to severe weather conditions, as indicated on its website. Fire and Emergency services reported that "a few" fire alarms were activated due to the outage, but there have been no major callouts.

This incident highlights the vulnerability of regional infrastructure to extreme weather events. While power restoration efforts are underway, residents are reminded to remain cautious and to report any further issues to the relevant authorities.