On 18 October 2025, Universal Beef Packers in Te Kūiti experienced an unexpected failure of 40‑year‑old oil‑filled switchgear, resulting in a complete loss of power to the site. With approximately $500,000 worth of meat product at risk and processing scheduled to resume within days, the team responded immediately to prevent significant financial loss and operational disruption.

Northpower mobilised quickly, co-ordinating crews, contractors and industry partners to assess the damage, source replacement equipment and restore supply safely. Through decisive action and close collaboration, power was reinstated in time to allow processing to resume as planned.

Following the initial call for assistance around midday on Saturday, resources were rapidly deployed to site. Initial assessments confirmed three transformer fuse switches had failed, while the oil high‑voltage metering unit remained intact. Project co-ordination enabled isolations, permitting and additional manpower to be secured without delay.

Support from industry partners proved critical. Spare Safelink ring main units were generously made available by Fonterra and transported to site, while civil and electrical tasks were organised to allow crane access and safe removal of the damaged equipment. Crews worked late into Saturday night and through Sunday to maintain momentum and minimise downtime.

By Sunday evening, replacement switchgear was installed and cable rerouting completed. Through collaboration and technical problem‑solving, the configuration was adjusted to operate safely with a single ring main unit instead of two, reducing complexity and expediting restoration. After final connections were completed on Monday, power was successfully restored to the facility by the afternoon.

The swift resolution ensured the $500,000 of beef in the cool store was saved and meat processing could resume, protecting both product and production timelines under significant pressure.