Residents in Waimakariri are being told to conserve water.

A council spokesperson said there are widespread power outages across the district. These are affecting Council’s water and waste water supplies.

They’re asking people across the district to conserve water to reduce the impact that it is having on council supplies.

The council spokesperson said they’re running on backup generators on a number of schemes and are having to deploy portable generators to some sites.

The council is also mobilising sucker trucks and additional fuel supply as it may take some time for the power to be restored.

A Mainpower spokesman said the network has experienced extensive damage in the Waimakariri and Hurunui districts due to the current high winds.

“Our teams are working to identify the damage and make the network safe where it is possible to do so. Please see the MainPower outage map for more detail on current outages.

Treat all lines as live during outage periods; power may be restored at any time. If you require further information, please call MainPower’s 24-hour fault line – 0800 30 90 80; to report an emergency call 111.”