Jump to content
Celebrating 100 years of keeping you connected.Conrad Schou (TLC Distribution Officer 1966 to 2009), Perry Stevens (TLC Chief Engineer 1964 to 1983) and Russel Aldridge (Chair of the TLC Board 1968 to 2004).Mike Underhill (current Board member), Brian Hanna (current WESCT Trustee), Sophie Coker (current Board member), Olivia Buckley (current WESCT Trustee), Guy Whitaker (current WESCT Deputy Chair), Mike Fox (current TLC Chief Executive), Yvette Ronaldson (current WESCT Trustee), Janette Osborne (current WESCT Trustee) and Andrew Johnson (current Board member).The Lines Company 100-year centenary event was attended by nearly 100 people – former and current Board members, Trust members and staff. Having served 36 years on the TLC Board from 1968 to 2004; Russel Aldridge was asked to cut the TLC 100-year birthday cake.Te Ngahuru Taituha (Communications Advisor, 2025 to current) with Perry Taituha (Team Leader/Line Mechanic 1968 to 2007). Grandson and grandfather, decades apart, working for the same organisation; keeping King Country families connected.QSM Murray Loewenthal (Foundation Director 1992 to 2006) and Ivan Haines (Chair of WESCT 1993 – 2008).

100 years of keeping communities connected

4 May 2026

For a century, The Lines Company (TLC) has played a quiet but essential role in everyday life across the King Country and surrounding regions — keeping customers connected and communities powered.

From the earliest days of local electricity supply to today’s modern network, TLC’s story has always been about people. The people who built it, maintained it, governed it and believed in it. Generation after generation, they have shaped an organisation grounded in service, responsibility and long-term thinking.

A defining feature of TLC’s history is its enduring community ownership. For 100 years, the network has been owned by the people it serves — ensuring decisions are made with long-term wellbeing in mind and that benefits flow back to customers and communities, not distant shareholders.

On Thursday 30 April 2026 – exactly 100 years to the day since locals gathered in a hall in Ōtorohanga for dinner to celebrate the arrival of electricity – people who have been part of TLC’s journey came together to mark this significant milestone, reconnecting, sharing stories and acknowledging the collective contribution that has shaped the organisation across generations.

Over time, TLC has navigated significant change in the electricity sector, while staying true to its purpose: delivering safe, reliable and affordable electricity and investing in resilience for the future. That consistency has seen TLC recognised as a trusted performer and a sector leader, with a strong focus on customer outcomes and community value.

Chief Executive Mike Fox says TLC’s success is inseparable from the people behind it.

“One hundred years of keeping the lights on, yes — but far more importantly, one hundred years of serving our communities, of connecting people and of quietly enabling everyday life to happen.”

As TLC reflects on its first century, it does so with gratitude — to those who laid the foundations, those who carried the organisation through times of change, and those who continue the work today.

Here’s to another 100 years.

For more information contact

[email protected]