Wave of copper cable thefts from Wellington EV chargers leaves drivers stranded

A further spate of electric vehicle charger cable thefts in Wellington is leaving drivers stranded.

A combined 15 locations, from the Hutt to the South Coast, have been vandalised, with copper cables taken.

The stolen cables are worth about $6, according to a metal scrap buyer.

Island Bay local Tessa told RNZ she is being forced to travel 20 minutes to her nearest non-damaged charger in Kilbirnie.

"We're a busy family with two kids and full-time jobs, and actually having to plan to go for a 20 minute drive to charge the car is actually just a bit ridiculous."

It comes after RNZ reported on thefts in Avalon Park in the Hutt in May.

Tessa, who wished to go by her first name only, decided to buy a Nissan Leaf to be more climate conscience.

Despite not having a charger at home, she figured the public infrastructure would be enough.

All three charger spots near Tessa - Island Bay, Newtown, and Berhampore - had damage to machines.

And with Pak 'N Save Kilbirnie being one of the last few options in the area, Tessa faced queues.

She felt the vandalism could put people off getting an EV.

"And who's to say this isn't going to happen again? You know, these companies are going to spend a huge amount of money replacing them."

Theft of copper and other metals to sell as scrap has almost tripled in the last three years, according to a 2025 police report.

Vice president of the Association of Metal Recyclers Glen Jacobs said each cable would likely be worth about $6.

Speaking with Afternoons, Jacobs said selling scrap copper in that form would be difficult, and worth very little.

"It's a pretty hasty move to start stealing for an income out of stolen metal."

Selling scrap copper in New Zealand requires people to hand over verified ID, signature, and a description of nature of the scrap metal acquired.

"It's a really opportunist thing. I don't think they're coming in and getting thousands of dollars from us."

Most sellers tend to be electrical companies or tradies, Jacobs said.

"It if its a risk for us, we're just not gonna buy it."

Meridian principal product manager Tim Calder was really disappointed.

The provider's website lists 20 locations in the Wellington region - about half of which had been hit by vandalism.

Both Meridian and ChargeNet said they were developing a longer-term security plan with new measures to better protect the machines.

Calder said they were working with authorities and looking through CCTV footage.

"We're doing everything we can to get these sites back up and running."

They are also in touch with other providers who have been hit too - like ChargeNet.

ChargeNet saw six locations damaged, and said repair plans were underway, with a focus on getting back to normal quickly.

"These sites are essential public infrastructure, and any damage is a frustrating inconvenience for local drivers who rely on them day-to-day."

The provider assured users the overall network remained reliable.

Police had received reports of damage to EV charging stations across Wellington over the last month, district prevention manager Inspector Fleur De Bes said.

"This offending not only causes significant damage and is costly to repair, it also cause disruption for road users who are solely reliant on these public facilities for charging their EV.

De Bes called upon the public to help find those responsible.

"There are members of our community who may have seen this offending take place, and we would like to hear from them."

Anyone with information was asked to make a report online at 105.police.govt.nz or call 105.

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