As we wrap up 2025, Lightwire and our carrier partners implement embargo periods over the holiday season to maintain network stability and ensure uninterrupted services while everyone enjoys their break.

During these periods, planned or non-essential work is paused, and fault restoration continues as normal.

This guide outlines embargo windows for Lightwire services, New Zealand fibre providers, and Australian carriers.

From the entire Lightwire team, we wish you a safe and well-connected holiday season.

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Lightwire business & wholesale customers

Lightwire Voice & Data Networks

Embargo period: Monday, 22 December 2025 to Sunday, 4 January 2026

• No production or planned network and system change
• Emergency and fault restoration  work continue as normal
• Full remote and on-site technical coverage is maintained
• Normal change activity resumes on Monday, 5 January 2026

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Service desk hours

Embargo period: Thursday, 25 December to Sunday, 28 December & Thursday, 1 January to Sunday, 4 January 2026. Otherwise, service desk hours are from 8.30am – 7.00pm.

Business and Wholesale Partners can contact us 24/7. Out of service desk hours calls will be routed to our on-call staff.

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Provisioning hours

‍Embargo period: Thursday, 25 December to Sunday, 28 December & Thursday, 1 January to Sunday, 4 January 2026.

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Lightwire residential customers

‍Lightwire Rural Wireless Network

Embargo period: Monday, 22 December 2025 to Sunday, 5 January 2026

• No active or disruptive planned site works
• Fault restoration activities continue as normal

Service desk hours

Embargo period: Thursday, 25 December to Sunday, 28, December 2025 & Thursday, 1 January – Sunday to 4 January 2026. Otherwise, service desk hours are from 8.30am – 7.00pm.

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New Zealand Carriers

Chorus

Embargo period: 23:59, Friday, 19 December 2025 - 06:00, Monday 12 January 2026

Chorus provisioning will be unavailable only on the following closure dates over the holiday period: 20–21 December, 25–28 December, and 1–4 January 2026. All other weekdays operate as normal BAU provisioning.

Restrictions:

Full fault restoration capability remains available throughout the embargo period. Provisioning activities will continue, although the number of technicians and provisioning staff working through the Christmas holiday period will be reduced in-line with forecasted demand for provisioning work.

As Chorus are unable to complete exchange-based network modification during this period, all Hyperfibre and HPA orders that require exchange work will require a longer lead time. The advanced scheduling lead-time (currently 20 M-F days) will be extended to account for this brown-out period for all orders placed after 17 November and will return to 20 M-F days on January 12th. Orders that only require ONT upgrades or orders for ONT replacements that don’t require exchange-based modifications will proceed as normal.

Electricity Ashburton (EA)

Embargo period: 5:00pm, Friday, 19 December 2025 - 8:00am, Wednesday 7 January 2026

Restrictions: No planned civil work, new connections, or logical network activities.

Business as usual resumes on 7 January 2026.

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Enable

Embargo period: 6pm Tuesday, 23 December 2025 - 6pm Monday, 5 January 2026.

You’re advised to begin planning to avoid any work being undertaken during this period. There are planned work restrictions through this period, and all network maintenance activities will be brought forward or deferred until after the Christmas holiday period has ended.

Enable will continue to provide fault restoration capability throughout the work restriction period.

Customer installation calendars will operate at reduced capacity from 5pm Tuesday, 23 December until Monday, 5 January 2026. There will be no availability on weekends or statutory holidays during this period.

Emergency changes and other exceptions will be considered on a case-by-case.

Northpower

Planned work embargo period: 1200hrs, 19 December 2025 - 0800hrs, 7 January 2026

Provisioning embargo period: 1200hrs, 23 December 2025 - 0800hrs, 7 January 2026

Northpower will accept orders, but they will not be processed until the 7 January 2026.

Assure: During this brown out period operational and fault teams will have staff on standby to action any incoming operational or fault matters.

Tuatahi First Fibre / Unison

Core Networks

Embargo period: 7:00am Monday, 15 December - 7:00am Monday, 5 January 2026

• A partial change restriction will be in place between 7:00am Monday, 15 December 2025 and 5:00pm Friday, 19 December 2025
• A full change restriction will be in place from 5:00pm Friday, 19 December 2025 to 7:00 am Monday, 5  January 2026

During this time:

• We will not carry out network activity or handover changes
• We will observe any constraints imposed by local authorities within our network areas between Monday, 15 December 2025 and Monday, 5 January 2026

Customer Care

Embargo period: Thursday 25 December 2025 - Friday, 2 January 2026

Customer Care will be closed for standard provisioning activity. Returning to work Monday, 5 January 2026.

For the days of 22, 23 & 24 December the Customer Care teams will be on reduced hours, working 7:00 am to 4:00 pm.

Vector

Embargo period: 15 December – 5 January 2026

• 1 December 2025: Final day to  submit MACs that must be completed before the holiday period
• 15 December 2025: Planned work restrictions begin
• 22 December 2025: All planned work stops and only emergency changes proceed
• 5 January 2026: Full operations resume

Australian Carriers

AAPT, TPG, Vocus (Australia)

Embargo Period: Monday, 22 December 2025 - 8:00am, Monday, 5 January 2026 (AEST)

During this period:

• Standard orders are accepted but delivery times may increase
• Non-standard provisioning and network reconfiguration are paused
• Hardware and software upgrades are paused
• Planned work is reduced to emergency only

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nbn®

Provisioning

Embargo Period: 22 December 2025 - 5 January 2026 (AEST)

nbn® provisioning continues but delivery times may be longer than usual.

If you have upcoming work or change requests that may be affected by these embargo periods, please have them submitted before Friday 19 December 2025.

The nbn® team remains available for urgent issues throughout the holiday period. Full services resume on Monday, 5 January 2026.