Low-flying helicopters will be sweeping across the Western Bay of Plenty this month as Powerco inspects thousands of rural power poles in a bid to prevent outages.

The aerial survey will capture high-resolution images of more than 29,000 poles and associated infrastructure as part of Powerco’s annual pole top photography programme.

This allows Powerco to assess the condition of its assets, check for any potential issues such as trees growing into lines, and fix them before they cause power cuts.

The work in the western Bay of Plenty is planned for October 13 to October 29, however, this timeframe may be extended in the event of bad weather.

Powerco customer delivery head Mark Hermann said customers were being notified about the flight paths in advance through a range of online, print and social media advertising, as well as direct communication with local stakeholders and community groups.

“We understand that low-flying helicopters can sometimes be unsettling, particularly for animals or when people have events planned.

“By sharing flight details early, we can work with customers to minimise any disruption where we can.”

For information about the flight areas, or to ask a question or log a concern, customers can visit www.powerco.co.nz/helicopter.

The low flying helicopter will strictly follow Civil Aviation Authority regulations, only flying above 300m in urban areas, and above 150m in rural areas.

Powerco has conducted a pole top photography survey during the past six summers.

This latest survey, running from October to December 2025, will capture photos of any power poles not previously surveyed across Western Bay of Plenty, Coromandel, South Waikato, Manawatū, Wairarapa and Taranaki.