Power pricing not just a rip-off, it’s immoral

Written By: - Date published: 3:23 pm, March 22nd, 2019 - 43 comments
Categories: Economy, uncategorized - Tags: , , ,

Submissions for the final report on the Electricity Price Review closed today at noon.

My recent experience with Genesis Energy reveals pricing by power company majors not only rips customers off, but is immoral.

The initial report of the EPR is unlikely to address this issue.

My enlightening experience began with Genesis informing me late last year that the pricing regime applying to my account was being “reviewed”- ie the gas price was being hiked to $0.0809 cents per kWh from $0.0483 – a 67% hike.

When I wrote to Genesis to tell them I thought the hike was outrageous, especially considering my electricity bill had gone up 14% over the last year, and that I would be “reviewing” my relationship with the company, I received an email from the Genesis “movers team” offering me a new contract at the old price.

Only because I am the sort of person who roughly knows my way around systems was I able to get the price hike revoked (though I wasn’t smart enough to stop Genesis hiking my electricity price 14% in 2017 when the inflation rate was under 2%).

When I asked for an explanation of how, suddenly they were able to offer me a new deal at the old, much lower rate, I received this response: “The reason why you (sic) rates were increasing in price as those are our non-contracted standard rates. With (sic) accepting out (sic) eSaver contract, we were able to fix your rates onto our lowest regional rates available.

The question is: what happens to people with less ability to push back? Essentially we have a system where the vulnerable end paying higher power prices than the less vulnerable.

Exploitation of the vulnerable also happens via the widespread practice of prompt-payment discounts, which Genesis still operates. These can be as high as 26% of the bill. Budgeting and advocacy groups say those discounts are really late-payment penalties. The discounts again favour those in society who are organised and have the wherewithal to always pay on the due date.

This unwelcome practice was highlighted in the current industry review that came about as a result of NZ First’s decision to go with a Labour-led government.

Meridian Energy responded to the review’s recommendation to end the practice by giving everyone the discount rate, at a cost of $5 million to the company. Those of Meridian’s 18,000 customers who will no longer be penalised for paying their bills late will save around $20 to $30 every month.

The review’s initial report highlighted the market has developed into a two-tiered beast between those who shop around to enjoy the benefits of competition and those who do not and pay higher prices.

Genesis, known in the jargon as a gentailor (because it is generator and retailer), is the largest electricity retailer, with around a quarter of the electricity market and 40% of the gas market. The 51% government-owned company is the third largest electricity generator. It was formed as part of the 1998–99 reform of the New Zealand electricity sector, taking its one generation capacity from the breakup of Electricity Corp of New Zealand (ECNZ). In April 2014, the National Government sold a 49% stake at $1.55 per share (today $2.68, and that is another sordid story).

Since deregulation of the energy sector began, households are paying 80% more for power today than in 1990, after adjusting for inflation. It is estimated about 103,000 households spent more than 10% of their income on domestic energy – a situation described as “energy hardship”.

The first stage of the industry review was delivered in September. According to Energy Minister, Megan Woods, “the report is a clear demonstration that the market is not working for everyone. New Zealanders deserve affordable electricity, but too many households are struggling to pay their bills.

In her news release, Woods alluded to the problem identified in my pricing “review”.

For residential customers it appears that a two-tier retail market is developing. People who actively shop around enjoy the benefits of competition, and those who don’t are stuck with prices.

The average gap between what you might be paying, and the cheapest on offer, has increased by about 50% since 2002.

The review has found that some households struggle to understand the various plans and how to choose the one that’s best for them, and low-income consumers miss out more often on prompt-payment discounts – which can be as high as 26 per cent of the bill, and which budgeting and advocacy groups say are really late-payment penalties,” Woods said.

According to the review, electricity prices have essentially stabilised since 2015. (That clearly did not stop Genesis hiking my price by 14% in 2017.)

Stabilisation has resulted from people shopping around when confronted with a hike. The industry is plagued by very high rates of “churn”, where customers jump from retailer to retailer to avoid the kind of hike Genesis tried to push onto me. That trend is encouraged by public campaigns such as “What’s my number” and pro-market advocates would argue that this shows the market is working.

Acquiring new customers by providing incentives, or by knocking on their front door until they jump ship, is expensive and is again essentially paid for by vulnerable customers. Estimates range from $200-300 to acquire a new customer up to the thousands that Z Energy recently paid for Flick in its desperation to diversify.

In August, all the big retailers, except Meridian, lost customer connections. Contact Energy reported the largest loss of more than 3700 customers, although 2000 of those were due to the Auckland Council moving to Trustpower. The biggest gainers were the Tier Two retailers – Electric Kiwi, Pulse Utilities, Energy Club, Switch Utilities, Ecotricity, Nova and Flick Electric.

Customer churn can also be very disruptive to power companies. Flick lost 3,500 customers in two months following wholesale power price spikes in October. Companies are aware of the dangers of large-scale customer loss and price their offerings according. So we all end up paying for this churn, but generally some pay more than others.

 

Simon Louisson is a former reporter who worked for The Wall Street Journal, AP Dow Jones Newswires, New Zealand Press Association and Reuters and as a political and media adviser to the Green Party

43 comments on “Power pricing not just a rip-off, it’s immoral ”

  1. Ad 1

    Great to see Vector get a $3.5 million fine for the power outages last year.

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12215296

    Big ups to the Commerce Commission litigation team for the win.

    Also thankyou Justice Duffy.

    Now, I know this post is about pricing, not lines and supply.

    But it’s so rare these days to see a major get one in the eye for the consumer.
    They could have spent that fine on undergrounding their lines in Auckland’s west.

    Vector you are a shit organisation and your customer service and commitment to Auckland sucks wholesale.

    Hope every bit of that fine comes off your bonuses.

    • Dukeofurl 1.1

      Not for last years ‘hurricane’ , was earlier

      “which resulted in it breaching the Commission’s regulations on quality standards in the 2015 and 2016 financial years.”

    • Paaparakauta 1.2

      Is that Jacinda in the image above saying ‘Help’ ?

    • Graeme 1.3

      Waiting on the “naughty step” for the same sort of prosecution is Aurora, the Central Otago and Queenstown Lakes lines company.

      https://www.odt.co.nz/regions/central-otago/aurora-explains-itself-codc

      Aurora’s owner, Dunedin City Holdings ripped the guts out of the company to fund the Dunedin Stadium, resulting in no maintenance on a network that already had a huge deferred maintenance issue. So there’s been poles fall over outside Clyde School (fortunately no kids standing there at the time, if it had gone a few hours earlier would have been messy), poles come down with someone working on them (fatal) and in some streets most of the poles with red, “No Climb” tags.

      And then they had the cheek to go to the Electricity Commission wanting to put charges up to fix it. That’s gone strangely quiet.

  2. For residential customers it appears that a two-tier retail market is developing. People who actively shop around enjoy the benefits of competition, and those who don’t are stuck with prices.

    Its called ‘The Loyalty Penalty’.

    Some consumer group should run an advertising campaign on behalf of businesses with a “loyalty Penalty”, they need to be outed, but NOT to make us change providers…to make them lift their game.

    https://www.theguardian.com/money/2018/dec/19/watchdog-plans-price-caps-to-stop-4bn-loyal-customer-rip-off

  3. WeTheBleeple 3

    I had a very similar experience. I wrote them complaining the bill was too high and they gave me a hefty discount. I inquired why this discount was not default, and how many others were they fleecing etc. They replied how they were.

    ‘taking it under consideration’

    That was Mercury.

    Same animal, different coat.

  4. cleangreen 4

    We know that the electricity price is a ripoff as the base price should be abut half of what it is here in line with the majority of the OECD.

    https://www.oecd-nea.org/ndd/pubs/2015/7057-proj-costs-electricity-2015.pdf

    Hydro: Hydroelectric plants are very site-specific, and so one would therefore expect to see a wide range of costs.

    Overnight costs for small hydro plants (10 MW or less) range from USD 1 368/kWe in the United States to USD 9 400/kWe in Germany.

    For large hydro plants in OECD countries,

    overnight costs range from USD 1 195/kWe in Spain to USD 8 687/kWe in Japan. In non-OECD countries they range from USD 598/kWe in China to USD 3 971/kWe in Brazil.

    Privatising the ‘essential service’s was a crime here, as we built them for ourb serurity and National flogged them off and we got shafted.
    .

    • Dukeofurl 4.1

      The power price we pay isnt set at the ‘lowest cost’ , rather its the highest cost provider sets the cost for all- for each half hour period. So varies through out the day.

      Some people are unfortunately comparing price rises to inflation – doesnt work that way as shortages rachet up prices considerably and if you are on a fixed price contract for the year the increased price for short periods is considered in setting the next years fixed price.

      Power prices are more like the price of potatoes, wholly dependant on supply and subject to weather related swings .
      In theory they should swing down as well but they rig the available supply to reduce that chance.

    • Ian 4.2

      The green party destroyed a big hunk of the value of those shares.You need to look at the unintended consequences of your activism. You cost taxpayers a lot of dosh and you provided investors a cheap buy.Your immediate need at the moment is to silence your hate filled spokeswomen.

  5. We were told in the 1980’s that power prices would drop after freeing up the market under neoliberalism.

  6. cleangreen 6

    While our use of power is dropping the cost is rising according to these sets of global power consumption, NZ is dropping. So should the cost per KW.

    Use the common model of if it is scarce then the cost rises.

    So we are being ripped off all the way to the bank folks.

    Electric power consumption (kWh per capita)
    IEA Statistics © OECD/IEA 2014 ( iea.org/stats/index.asp ),

    https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/eg.use.elec.kh.pc

    • Dukeofurl 6.1

      data is out of date.
      GFC effects reduced growth in power consumption, may have even reduced it, economic boom since then has changed all that.

      We are very susceptible to weather related shortages of hydro lake storage. Lots of rain and winter snow increases flow through South Island power stations. Its a complicated system but projected say winter hydro flows leads to power companies buying future hedging contracts driving up the price.
      A recent instance over a shutdown of a natural gas pipeline for maintenance has led to suggestions one of the retailers knew in advance and was able to buy hedging contracts for a low price before the others knew who tried to do the same thing but at higher price, a really high price. ( I hope I have got all details right)

    • RedLogix 6.2

      It’s worth noting that when it comes to utilities like power and water, the dominant component of the pricing comes from fixed costs. In the case of your water supply I know it’s usually 90% of the total price.

      For instance when I was in the water business, our wholesale price to the councils was 50c/m3, while as long as demand stayed within our production capacity, the marginal cost was 5c/m3. Roughly. I’m not sure how the numbers stack up in the electricity game, but I’d be fairly sure the fixed costs (capital, maintenance, labour, etc) would be the dominant portion.

      This means that as consumption drops, the price per unit rather perversely has to rise in order to be able to keep the system running. Eventually if demand drops enough, the system will shed fixed costs by closing plant, etc, but this tends to be rather sticky and comes in big lumps at long time intervals.

  7. Thank Labour and Roger Douglas.

  8. Naki man 8

    I don’t know what all the fuss is about. My power bill is just over $100 a month this time of year. A little more than my internet bill and less than a tank of petrol.
    If you own the house you live in and think you are paying too much it is very easy to reduce your bill, unfortunately not so easy if you are renting.

  9. cleangreen 9

    I have been finishing two other recent studies and the stats now show we are being ripped off no fear here.

    Since the 2014 world bank study, we have decreased our own use of power every year since, we found the stats show.

    Our use has fallen since 2014 again to less than average of 8939kWe per individual annually from 9026 in 2014.

    So clearly we are really being ripped off alright by these fat cats running our formerly ‘public owned power companies using the excuse that power generation is lagging behind ouur demand as it has not incresed since 2014..

    Shame on them!!!!

    • Tuppence Shrewsbury 9.1

      consumption dropping does not equal a price drop. Please publish your study so we can assess your conclusions

  10. KJT 10

    One aspect that hasn’t been mentioned, is power companies overcharging retail customers, to finance their discounts to attract large businesses.

    Power is a case study, on the inefficiencies of “privatisation” and ” competition” in large essential infrastructure.

    And a total refutation of the raving that “private companies are always better than State control”.

    • RedLogix 10.1

      I agree with you on that totally. I recall from some years back a study done that compared the network costs between the electricity system and the water system in Wellington, and what happened in the decade after privatisation of the former, while the water supply remained public.

      I forget the exact numbers, but the water system real costs rose about 18% in that time, while the electricity sector rose something like 170%. Someone bite me if I have those numbers wrong, but the difference was stark. I recall linking to the document years back.

    • Andre 10.2

      One aspect that hasn’t been mentioned, is power companies overcharging retail customers, to finance their discounts to attract large businesses.

      Yup. The Electricity Retailers Association says so themselves, though they put marketing weasel spin on it.

      https://www.eranz.org.nz/fileadmin/user_upload/ERANZ-_electricity_prices_in_NZ_-_an_historical_and_current_context_-_June_2017.pdf

  11. A 11

    I remember that I moved out of Lower Hutt just before the cut off for being considered a resident and therefore owner of some power co. Missed out on over a grand in payout.

    Made me think we needed more people owned power co’s

  12. WeTheBleeple 12

    I’ve been thinking about this. Possibly cause a war…

    Private companies gouge profit. We know this no matter how pretty their PR folks are.

    I propose we claw the power companies back and force these private players in line with fair practice and public service provision. Power in NZ is a basic necessity not a luxury.

    Buy them out, one chunk at a time taking their shares and turning them back to NZ’s asset as they are meant to be.

    Force their pricing to stop them over-inflating their sense of worth.

    Force their maintenance to stop them stalling business and activity.

    Force them to act like responsible business till all the opportunists have abandoned ship.

    • Stuart Munro. 12.1

      Agreed. One of my NZ power bills would pay for a year’s power in Korea, with change left over. NZ power companies are taking the piss.

      • CLEANGREEN 12.1.1

        Yes WeTheBleeple and Stuart,

        My Son is living back in Germany, and pays only a third of our cost of our power bill here for us two, – at his home there.

        Considering he and his fiance’ is in a deep winter period there now, and we are in a far warmer period here.

        So for our winter; – it will be of cold comfort knowing that Germany’s power costs are far less than ours, is ‘criminal’ for us to be forced to face here.

        Especially since I spend my best years working on two large power schemes in NZ building public hydro power projects so our future would be sure with cheap power.

        What a ripoff!!!!!

        We have been robbed here in NZ by these overseas “leeches”.

        • Dukeofurl 12.1.1.1

          In Europe I think its only France that is similar to NZ in that electricity supplies the majority of home energy use.
          I know for UK most homes have natural gas for home heating and hot water , the ubiquitous ‘boiler’ tucked away somewhere, anmd maybe even the stove is gas. This way their electricity usage is a small part of their energy use.
          Germany may be the same as UK , so perhaps ask your Son about the natural gas – maybe its part of an apartment block that shares the heating via radiators , so electricity may only be lighting and home electronics ?

          The comments from Ballarat may also rely on natural gas , for heating, hotwater and stove. More recently electricity prices in Victoria have soared as the move to more renewable forms has replaced old brown coal ( the worst kind) of power stations

          • cleangreen 12.1.1.1.1

            Germany uses electric ranges mainly (my son a NZ master electrician said).

            They also use electric underfloor heating systems too.

            I lived in Canada for 3 decades on and off, owning three properties and all had “forced gas griddle heated air heating systems: which were bloody dangerous.
            Our system of good insulation with ‘wool’ is adequate for our mild climate also.

            • Dukeofurl 12.1.1.1.1.1

              “Gas central heating is the most widely used type of heating system in Germany. ”
              https://www.wolf.eu/en/advice/heating/gasheatingsystem/

              My household of two probably averages $100 pm over year and I have two heat pumps, the upstairs one is mostly used for cooling over summer nights – using dehumidify option as thats the problem , humidity rather than excessive hot.
              My annual consumption 3813 kWh ,year on last Aug, means Im at the low end of a ‘low user’, but have the usual washing machines and dishwashers etc. I take care to turn major appliances off at the wall after use, including computer gear

              • Dukeofurl

                “A typical household buying from a local supplier that consumes 5,000 kilowatt hours a year is now paying 1,437 euros per annum”
                https://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-energy-retail/german-consumers-paying-record-prices-for-power-portal-idUSKCN1P9233

                Thats maybe twice ($2350 ? )what I pay($1071) for a similar kWhr

                Thats ALL my household energy , while those in Germany are mostly paying extra for natural gas heating on top of 5000 kWhr – which is quite low

              • cleangreen

                Many countries have electricity prices at least half or much less than ours.are now because the base price is high here by extra ‘taxes’ and ‘ripping us off’ by using extra line and transmission charges and metering equipment charges are ‘silently added by the power company’ like NZ companies has done so now.

                Note; some are out of date as NZ and Australia are but we can use them for comparisons from then to now as historic references.

                Try NZ in 2012 cost of average power per kW was around 19c and now we are now up to 35c in areas such as Gisborne rural areas are.

                Germany has high kW cost of (33 EU) – but my Son says their yearly cost now in Germany is lower by far than ours are even today in 2019.

                I commend Dukeofoul for keeping his/hers average monthly kWs down to “averages $100 pm over year ” That is amazingly low even for two.

                Here are some stats to prove this fact that many countries have far lower cost than we or Australia has so knowing that the same global folks operate the Australian electrical providers do so in NZ now, so we need to have these high cost companies investigated for corrupt practices now.

                Argentina 9 2016
                Australia 11-26 2016
                Belgium 27 2015
                Bulgaria 11 2015
                Brazil 12-25 2016
                Canada 8-16 2016
                China 5-14 2016
                Chile 23.11 2011
                Croatia 15 2015
                Czech Republic 14.75 2015
                Denmark 33 2015
                Finland 17.51 2015
                France 19.23 2015
                Germany 33.76 2015
                Guyana 26.8 2012
                Hungary 23.44 2011
                Hong Kong 12.02-24 2013
                India 7 2014
                Indonesia 8.75 2013
                Iceland 14.5 2015
                Iran 2-19 2011
                Ireland 28.36 2011
                Israel 15.35 2017
                Italy 28 2015
                Jamaica 7.35-16.8 2011
                Japan 18 2015
                Jordan 5-33 2012
                Latvia 18.25 2012
                Malaysia 7.09-14.76 2013
                Mexico 19.28 2012
                Moldova 11.11 2011
                Netherlands 28.89 2011
                New Zealand 19.15 2012
                Pakistan 2-18 2015
                Papua New Guinea 29 2013
                Paraguay 8 2011
                Peru 10.44 2007
                Philippines 30.46 2010
                Portugal 25.25 2011
                Russia 9 2014
                Serbia 3.93-13.48 2013
                Singapore 21.53 2013
                Spain 19.72 2017
                Solomon Islands 84.8 2013
                South Africa 15 2015
                South Korea 8.1-62 2016
                Sweden 21.5 2015
                Taiwan 7-17 2012
                Thailand 4.46-9.79 2011
                Tonga 57.95 2011
                Turkey 11.2 2016
                United Kingdom 25 2015
                Ukraine 2.6-10.8 2014
                Uruguay 17.07-26.48 2014
                United Arab Emirates 0-12 2017
                United States 12.7 2017
                USA Virgin Islands 51-55 2013
                USA Hawaii 30.33 2017
                Uzbekistan 4.95 2011
                Vanuatu 58 2013
                Vietnam 6.20-10.01 2011

                • Dukeofurl

                  Based on my numbers German electricity prices are ‘twice’ that of a low user in Auckland ( How is their GST?)
                  Yes some rural areas here have very high lines charges

                  My only ‘trick’ is to have the hot water turned off except for 51 min per day -yes I use a timer- before the morning showers. In winter it goes up to around 80 min. In theory it shouldnt make much difference but I found it did. ( water comes from the hot part of the cylinder – the top- while cold water comes in the bottom where the thermostat is and immediately turns the element on to mix the water. I just have enough water used so that the cold water stays at the bottom till the next day)

                  I can remember years ago being surprised by people who left electric heaters on in rooms all night!
                  To me the main thing was a warm dry bed , by using an electric blanket before going to sleep. And about once a fortnight or so leaving it on very low setting for say 4-5 hours to drive the moisture out of the bed. damp beds require more heating.

                  • cleangreen

                    They stupidly got rid of the ‘ripple relay system’ of the ‘controlled’ side of all home electricity systems sadly.

                    We had always included them in distribution boxes attached to all homes then to restrict overnight water heating when high line demand was present so we had a lower water electricity charge in all homes where some would connect their heaters to the “controlled side of the electricity supply.

                    As an electrician i was amazed when a Contact energy guy suggested we do this.

                    All power providers should offer any service that would lower customers costs also like this.

                  • cleangreen

                    Dukeofurl; My son just emailed his thoughts on the German prices here,;-

                    “30 cents euro per kWh, that’s gone up from 25 cents since 2010. We generally only use electricity for cooking, I’ve never actually come across any house that hasn’t!
                    They use a central heating system which the water heating is tied in with and the main source of heating are natural gas boilers, heat pumps, district heating system which means they have heating plants supplying heat (biomass and coal plants), and also wood and wooden pallet based heating systems

                    We also pay our power annually. So 750-1450 euros a year
                    I’ve generally only paid 750-1000euros a year.”

                    We here average $250NZ a month (a lot more than you do) as you are wisely using less power than most.

                    I need electricity here due to severe allergies to gas or wood fire emissions.

                    We do use much more cost then my son and his partner do in Germany.

                    Canada was much cheaper than NZ or Germany at only 12 cents a kWh. US at 11 cents so we are very high here.

                  • Andre

                    Do you occasionally make sure the whole cylinder gets up to at least 60 degrees? If not, then the risk goes way up of cultivating a delightful little colony of Legionnaire’s disease in your hot water cylinder.

      • RedLogix 12.1.2

        Similar experience even in Australia. I remember my shock at our first power bill in Ballarat, it was was similar to the ones we got in NZ, except it covered a whole quarter, not one month!

    • Jess NZ 12.2

      Yes, socialist of me I know, but I think that utilities required for civilised living should be nationalised, not privatised. The profit motive increases the already immoral divide between rich and poor in NZ.

      So power, water, transport, health and ‘communications’ should all be free of the profit requirement.

      Rich people will always be able to buy a better deal, but the rest of us shouldn’t be propping up already rich investors.

  13. WeTheBleeple 13

    Yeah we’re certainly getting gouged aye. Maybe part of it is due to having a smaller consumer base, but not all of it.

    To ensure good (renewable hydro) power supply in our future we will also need to address the retention of water in our landscapes. Not only to ensure power supply, but for stream health and life, and primary production – our biggest earner.

    The way all of this fits together where conservation enhances power and economy is the type of opportunity we should keep our eyes open for.

    Building resilience in our systems.

    NZ Forever.

  14. Herodotus 14

    Simon your story is very similar to mine, had a 24 month price freeze. Recently the 24 mth period lapsed. We received a letter stating that all rates: Fixed and variable were to be “lifted” by 22-34%. From visiting http://www.switchme.co.nz i was able to find a supplier that was able to match our rates from 2 years ago. 4 days after completing the process I was rung from the current power coy with a counter offer, like you offering a dramatic lower rate and as a goodwill gesture $300 credit on the account. I used this opportunity to voice my frustration and from principle did not accept their offer.
    I wonder how many “passive” customers these coys have that just accept such increases.
    Wasn’t the power shake up to benefit the consumer ??? 🥴
    Should have purchased all those shares that our govt sold a few years ago 🤑

  15. Slijmbal 15

    Must agree with the point made earlier that while there is competition it is not provided to the consumer as a natural consequence, rather it has to be quite actively sought out. We have the cosmetic appearance of a competitive market but not an actual one.

    Electricity costs have 3 main components; generation, transport (Transpower) and ‘retail’. Haven’t been able to dig out what proportion of our costs are in each but from memory all 3 components are major contributors to the cost.

    The government owns ~ 2/3rd of power generation and owns Transpower and the 5 main generators who generate almost all power in NZ are also the 5 main retailers (with less domination than in generation but still a large amount of market share – I don’t have numbers to hand). This certainly looks like a cartel. A Government owned one.

    We also have a pricing model for wholesale prices that is poorly constructed that can easily be gamed by the generators to increase profit. Furthermore, we have a poor model of setting how much profit the electricity companies are allowed. In crude terms it is priced by valuing their assets, setting an acceptable level of return on these assets and then being able to set prices accordingly. Getting assets artificially increased in value allows a corresponding increase in price and thus profit.

    Ironically, with majority government ownership and government set rules for profit and pricing this is actually a government caused problem and not a private industry one IMO. Even more ironically, the largest proportion of price hikes (%age wise) have been applied under Labour governments. National are also guilty of this behaviour, just not as much. It’s been treated as a stealth tax by governments for ~ 20 years.

    Electricity supply has so many built in impediments to competition e.g. very high capital costs and easy to repel new entries to the market, it’s not sensible to have 2 Transpowers etc. etc. that competition can only be enforced by market intervention. I worked in the electricity industry prior to de-regulation and wasn’t impressed by what I saw then so I’m not in favour of nationalisation and would rather fix what we have than overturn it. I don’t see any government intervening soon as it will mean increased taxes elsewhere.

    On a final note, this will only get worse with moves around removal of fossil fuels in the mix as it’s become much more difficult to create economically reasonable, renewable generation in NZ. For instance, Hydro requires new damns, which are invariably strongly opposed. Other renewables such as wind and solar are not even close to economically competitive and a long way from being so, if ever, in the New Zealand environment.

  16. cleangreen 16

    Slijmbal

    Excellent review you made.

    I have a company that works within the Electricity industry in a “partnership” with the Electricity Authority (EA) as an (MEP) ‘Meter Equipment Provider’ and also as a (MEO) ‘Meter Equipment Owner’ where my activities are all controlled by the EA and often our similar companies that are small like ours are discriminated against by the Power providers and we are unable to supply services to customers that they want as the power providers will not allow us to represent the consumer to carry out installations of our equipment which can save the consumer money in lower bills.

    So yes there are anomalies in the electricity industry now and the potential for some electricity providers to ‘play’ the system to reach higher profits with to much power given to the electricity providers over consumers rights to choose there services offered inside the electricity equipment industry.

    We have on several times provided our company input submissions to the EA but seldom has anything changed.

    We hope that the tenacious excellent prowess of our new Energy Minister Megan Woods will correct those issues and give consumers better right to use their preferred Meter equipment Provider to supply better metering to give the consumer lower bills, as some electronic digital metering is known to be very unstable whereas the older mechanical ‘ferraris’ spinning wheel’ metering that has been used for 60+ years has proven to be is more accurate in most climatic conditions.

    Most Electricity Providers will also benefit from a more reliable stable reading of use at every location without having to deal with customers disputes also.

    Main benefits also are for property owners with solar backup power systems as these mechanical spinning wheel meters reverse the reading when power from the home is generated and returned to the grid is shown accurately as a credit of 100% back to the homeowner by debiting the power returned to the grid.

    Simply this give will give more control of use and lowed bills back to the customer.

  17. hoom 17

    I will never forget Max Bradford on the day he announced the splitting of ECNZ:
    “NZ electricity prices will never be as low as today”

    It was a Bushism but has been proven absolutely literally true, prices nearly immediately rose significantly and continued inexorably upward since.

    What annoys me is we had 9 years of Labour with no real improvement to what was already very clearly a broken-to-the-core system in that time.

    I see no sign that this Labour govt will do anything other than a minimal & ineffectual adjustment round the edges.

    A ‘market’ setup to always choose the most expensive price is not a market, its a Cartel.
    And it makes no sense for separate companies owned by the Govt to be run as a Cartel. (nor as an actual market)

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

  • At a glance – Does CO2 always correlate with temperature?
    On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
    4 hours ago
  • Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6.06 pm on Tuesday, March 19
    TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Tuesday, March 19:Kāinga Ora’s dry rot The Spinoff DailyBill McKibben on ‘Climate Superfunds’ making Big Oil pay for climate damage The Crucial YearsPreston Mui on returning to 1980s-style productivity growth NoahpinionAndy Boenau on NIMBYs needing unusual bedfellows Urbanism SpeakeasyNed Resnikoff's case ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 hours ago
  • Relentlessly negative
    Negative yesterday, negative today. Negative all year, according to one departing reader telling me I’ve grown strident and predictable. Fair enough. If it’s any help, every time I go to write about a certain topic that begins with C and ends with arrrrs, I do brace myself and ask: Again? Are ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    7 hours ago
  • Scoring 4.6 out of 10, the new Government is struggling in the polls
    Bryce Edwards writes –  It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just show a minimal amount of flux in public support ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    7 hours ago
  • Promiscuous Empathy: Chris Trotter Replies To His Critics.
    Inspirational: The Family of Man is a glorious hymn to human equality, but, more than that, it is a clarion call to human freedom. Because equality, unleavened by liberty, is a broken piano, an unstrung harp; upon which the songs of fraternity will never be played. “Somebody must have been telling lies about ...
    7 hours ago
  • Don’t run your business like a criminal enterprise
    The Detail this morning highlights the police's asset forfeiture case against convicted business criminal Ron Salter, who stands to have his business confiscated for systemic violations of health and safety law. Business are crying foul - but not for the reason you'd think. Instead of opposing the post-conviction punishment and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    7 hours ago
  • Misremembering Justinian’s Taxes.
    Tax Lawyer Barbara Edmonds vs Emperor Justinian I - Nolo Contendere: False historical explanations of pivotal events are very far from being inconsequential.WHEN BARBARA EDMONDS made reference to the Roman Empire, my ears pricked up. It is, lamentably, very rare to hear a politician admit to any kind of familiarity ...
    8 hours ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Scoring 4.6 out of 10, the new Government is struggling in the polls
    It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just show a minimal amount of flux in public support for the various parties in ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    9 hours ago
  • Bishop scores headlines with crackdown on unwelcome tenants – but Peters scores, too, as tub-thump...
    Buzz from the Beehive Housing Minister Chris Bishop delivered news – packed with the ingredients to enflame political passions – worthy of supplanting Winston Peters in headline writers’ priorities. He popped up at the post-Cabinet press conference to promise a crackdown on unruly and antisocial state housing tenants. His ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    10 hours ago
  • Will it make the boat go faster?
    Ele Ludemann writes – The Reserve Bank is advertising for a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion advisor. The Bank has one mandate – to keep inflation between one and three percent. It has failed in that and is only slowly getting inflation back down to the upper limit. Will it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    12 hours ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Is Simon Bridges’ NZTA appointment a conflict of interest?
    Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi The fact that a ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    13 hours ago
  • Is Simon Bridges’ NZTA appointment a conflict of interest?
    Bryce Edwards writes – Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    13 hours ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' at 10:10am on Tuesday, March 19
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Gavin Jacobson talks to Thomas Piketty 10 years on from Capital in the 21st Century The SalvoLocal scoop: Green MP’s business being investigated over migrant exploitation claims Stuff Steve KilgallonLocal deep-dive: The commercial contractors making money from School ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    13 hours ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things on Tuesday, March 19
    It’s a home - but Kāinga Ora tenants accused of “abusing the privilege” may lose it. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Government announced a crackdown on Kāinga Ora tenants who were unruly and/or behind on their rent, with Housing Minister Chris Bishop saying a place in a state ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    14 hours ago
  • New Life for Light Rail
    This is a guest post by Connor Sharp of Surface Light Rail  Light rail in Auckland: A way forward sooner than you think With the coup de grâce of Auckland Light Rail (ALR) earlier this year, and the shift of the government’s priorities to roads, roads, and more roads, it ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    15 hours ago
  • Why Are Bosses Nearly All Buffoons?
    Note: As a paid-up Webworm member, I’ve recorded this Webworm as a mini-podcast for you as well. Some of you said you liked this option - so I aim to provide it when I get a chance to record! Read more ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    18 hours ago
  • Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6.06 pm on March 18
    TL;DR: In my ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Monday, March 18:IKEA is accused of planting big forests in New Zealand to green-wash; REDD-MonitorA City for People takes a well-deserved victory lap over Wellington’s pro-YIMBY District Plan votes; A City for PeopleSteven Anastasiou takes a close look at the sticky ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Peters holds his ground on co-governance, but Willis wriggles on those tax cuts and SNA suspension l...
    Buzz from the Beehive Here’s hoping for a lively post-cabinet press conference when the PM and – perhaps – some of his ministers tell us what was discussed at their meeting today. Until then, Point of Order has precious little Beehive news to report after its latest monitoring of the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago
  • Labour’s final report card
    David Farrar writes –  We now have almost all 2023 data in, which has allowed me to update my annual table of how  went against its promises. This is basically their final report card. The promise The result Build 100,000 affordable homes over 10 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • “Drunk Uncle at a Wedding”
    I’m a bit worried that I’ve started a previous newsletter with the words “just when you think they couldn’t get any worse…” Seems lately that I could begin pretty much every issue with that opening. Such is the nature of our coalition government that they seem to be outdoing each ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Geoffrey Miller writes – Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on Dune 2, and images of Islam
    Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture ...
    2 days ago
  • New Rail Operations Centre Promises Better Train Services
    Last week Transport Minster Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre. The new train control centre will see teams from KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail working more closely together to improve train services across the city. The Auckland Rail Operations Centre in ...
    2 days ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things at 6.36am on Monday, March 18
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    2 days ago
  • The Kaka’s diary for the week to March 25 and beyond
    TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Bitter and angry; Winston First
    New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • Out of Touch.
    “I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    5 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    6 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    6 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    6 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Government moves to quickly ratify the NZ-EU FTA
    "The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 hours ago
  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    11 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    13 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    14 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
    Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
    Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem
    The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced.  “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level.   “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Ruapehu Alpine Lifts bailout the last, say Ministers
    Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Fresh produce price drop welcome
    Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024.  “Lower fruit and vege ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Statement to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68)
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government backs rural led catchment projects
    The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber
    Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction.   Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Commission’s advice on ETS settings tabled
    Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government lowering building costs
    The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Trustee tax change welcomed
    Proposed changes to tax legislation to prevent the over-taxation of low-earning trusts are welcome, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The changes have been recommended by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee following consideration of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill. “One of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister’s Ramadan message
    Assalaamu alaikum. السَّلَام عليكم In light of the holy month of Ramadan, I want to extend my warmest wishes to our Muslim community in New Zealand. Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, renewed devotion, perseverance, generosity, and forgiveness.  It’s a time to strengthen our bonds and appreciate the diversity ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister appoints new NZTA Chair
    Former Transport Minister and CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber Hon Simon Bridges has been appointed as the new Board Chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) for a three-year term, Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced today. “Simon brings extensive experience and knowledge in transport policy and governance to the role. He will ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Speech to Life Sciences Summit
    Good morning all, it is a pleasure to be here as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology.  It is fantastic to see how connected and collaborative the life science and biotechnology industry is here in New Zealand. I would like to thank BioTechNZ and NZTech for the invitation to address ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Progress continues apace on water storage
    Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says he is looking forward to the day when three key water projects in Northland are up and running, unlocking the full potential of land in the region. Mr Jones attended a community event at the site of the Otawere reservoir near Kerikeri on Friday. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government agrees to restore interest deductions
    Associate Finance Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government has agreed to restore deductibility for mortgage interest on residential investment properties. “Help is on the way for landlords and renters alike. The Government’s restoration of interest deductibility will ease pressure on rents and simplify the tax code,” says ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister to attend World Anti-Doping Agency Symposium
    Sport and Recreation Minister Chris Bishop will travel to Switzerland today to attend an Executive Committee meeting and Symposium of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Mr Bishop will then travel on to London where he will attend a series of meetings in his capacity as Infrastructure Minister. “New Zealanders believe ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2024-03-19T10:21:49+00:00