Power continuity is non-negotiable for all businesses, but it is truly vital for hospitals where lives, critical services, and sensitive equipment depend on it. The October 2025 outage at Nelson Hospital provides a stark illustration of what happens when processes, communication, and maintenance fall short.

On October 23, Nelson Hospital experienced a major power cut during wild weather, compounded by a nationwide strike. During the two-hour power cut, the onsite diesel generators, intended as the primary backup, failed to engage for about an hour.

Maintenance records[1] reveal that the same fault with the generator mains connection had been repeatedly noted in previous maintenance reports over 2024 and 2025. While the generators had been serviced just days before the incident, the underlying issue was not fully remediated.

During the power cut, the hospital’s Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) systems performed exactly as intended, keeping theatres, ICU, and other critical services running without interruption. This provides a clear demonstration of how a robust preventative maintenance and a structured service program can safeguard critical infrastructure.

Maintenance: More than a checklist

The generator outage highlights a simple but crucial truth: maintenance is not simply a tick-box exercise. Regular inspections must identify risks as a first step and provide a clear pathway to remedial action and mitigation as a second step. Clear communication and accountability are what ultimately protect operations.

The Nelson Hospital incident serves as a leadership lesson in risk mitigation. While equipment may be capable, it is the partnership with experienced service providers and adherence to proactive maintenance programs that ensure reliability. In this case, the UPS system’s performance proved the value of a sound strategy executed with discipline and expertise.

Partnerships deliver assurance

Strong partnerships underpin resilience. Facilities management, hospital teams and maintenance specialists must work together to ensure visibility, accountability and timely resolution of identified faults. A proactive approach does not leave safety to chance, it anticipates issues, mitigates risks and responds with precision when called upon.

Your UPS provider is more than an equipment supplier, they are a strategic partner. UPS Power Solutions manufacturer-trained expertise, proven preventative maintenance programme and ability to adapt to the unique requirements of each facility transforms technology into operational assurance. As Nelson Hospital’s unfortunate outage demonstrates, the right strategy ensures continuity even when other systems fail.

An important conversation

This event should trigger a broader conversation about the role of process, partnership, and preventive maintenance in critical infrastructure.

Identification of potential faults is only valuable if followed by decisive and structured remedial action. Continuous review, transparent reporting and expert guidance that demystifies the technical and supports risk-based decision making ensures that infrastructure exceeds the minimum standards and expectations required to protect people, assets and operations.

Ask the right questions

It comes down to knowing who owns your risk and trusting them with the stewardship of your operation. Strategic partnerships, rigorous preventative maintenance, and clear operational oversight are what turn risk into resilience.

The UPS and battery systems at Nelson Hospital coupled with the maintenance services provided by UPS Power Solutions were the silent heroes in a high-stakes scenario; a reminder that infrastructure protection is only as strong as the strategy and people supporting it.

[1]  https://www.thepress.co.nz/nz-news/360917184/nelson-hospital-generators-serviced-days-failure

 

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