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The power outage that hit the upper South Island on Thursday is being used to highlight concerns about New Zealand's electricity network.
Transpower says the major outage was due to an error made by contractors carrying out routine work at the Islington sub station in Christchurch.
The failure of three circuits north of Christchurch saw people in Nelson, Marlborough, North Canterbury and Buller without power from about 4.30 till 7pm.
Transpower says it will not be taking any action against the contractors who mistakenly cut the power to about 130,000 homes.
The blackout could not have come at a worse time for a government still under fire for Auckland's crippling power outage in June. Add to this growing concerns over the last couple of years that the grid in the upper South Island is close to capacity at peak times.
The Canterbury Manufacturers' Association says critical issues of unreliable power supply and rising prices are making New Zealand an unattractive destination for businesses.
President John Walley says the threat of new business choosing Australia over New Zealand is real.
