Disney Plus Not Working in New Zealand?

Disney+ Down in New Zealand Again? Yeah, I Feel Your Pain - Here's What Finally Worked for Me in 2025

Last Thursday night I nearly lost it.

I'm in Christchurch, it's pissing down with rain, the kids are finally asleep, and I just wanted to watch the last two episodes of *Skeleton Crew*. I open Disney+, it thinks for half a second, then slaps me with the classic "Error 73 - Disney+ is not available in your region."

Mate, I'm literally sitting in my own lounge in Ilam. I haven't moved countries since lunch.

I've been a Disney+ subscriber since the week it launched in NZ (November 2019) and this nonsense still happens at least once a month. Spark fibre, One NZ cable, 2degrees mobile hotspot - doesn't matter. The gremlins find me.

So here's the exact order I now follow when it throws a tantrum. This isn't copied from some help article; it's the sequence I've hammered out after five years of swearing at my TV.

What actually happens (the non-tech-bro explanation)

Disney+ checks your IP address every single time the app starts. If the route your packets take looks even slightly dodgy - which happens a lot because basically all our international traffic has to hop across the Tasman or up to the States and back - it freaks out and assumes you're geo-dodging. Add in the fact that NZ ISPs love recycling IPs and caching location data, and you've got a recipe for random Thursday-night rage.

The fix list I actually use, in the order I actually use it:

1. Unplug the router for a full minute

I used to do 10 seconds. Doesn't cut it here. One minute forces Spark/One NZ/whoever to give me a completely new session. Fixes it about 60% of the time on its own.

2. Force-close the app, log out, log back in

On the TV go Settings → Apps → Disney+ → Force Stop, then log out from the account menu. Works for Error 83 and most black-screen issues.

3. Open Disney+ on my phone using mobile data only

I turn the Wi-Fi off on my phone, open the app on 4G/5G, let it load the home screen, then turn Wi-Fi back on. Takes 20 seconds and has never failed me once in 2025. Something about mobile towers always registers as properly NZ-based.

4. Clear cache (or just delete the app and reinstall)

On my Sony Android TV it's Settings → Apps → Disney+ → Storage → Clear Cache, then Clear Data. Takes two minutes and sorts the endless spinning wheel every time.

5. If I'm already using a VPN - turn it off

Disney+ is savage with VPN detection these days. The only exception: when Spark is having a complete meltdown (which feels like quarterly now), I'll flip on PureVPN's Auckland server for five minutes just to stabilise the route. It's not for watching US content; it's literally to make my own NZ connection look boring and normal to Disney's servers. Then I turn it straight off again.

6. Last-ditch: hotspot from my wife's phone (different carrier)

One NZ and Spark rarely break at exactly the same time. A quick 30-second hotspot and I'm back in business.

That's it. I've done this dance so many times I could probably do it blindfolded.

The errors I see the most and what they actually mean in 2025:

- Error 73 → "Your IP looks overseas for a millisecond." Router reboot or mobile trick.

- Error 83 → Device lost its handshake. Log out/in.

- Error 39 → Usually the TV being precious. Cache clear.

- Spinning wheel of death → Cached rubbish. Delete app data.

I now just reboot the router every second Sunday while the coffee's brewing. Takes 60 seconds and I haven't had a surprise Error 73 in months.

So yeah, Disney+ still throws hissy fits in New Zealand in 2025, but it's no longer allowed to ruin my night. If you're reading this while staring at a frozen Baby Yoda, try steps 1-3 right now. You'll be watching again before the kettle boils.