Who we are
We're an independent Crown entity responsible for the governance and regulation of New Zealand's electricity industry.
On this page —
Our establishment
The Electricity Authority Te Mana Hiko is an independent Crown entity that was established on 1 November 2010 under the Electricity Industry Act 2010.
We are tasked with governing the electricity market under the Electricity Industry Act 2010 (Act). The Act authorises the making of regulations and the Electricity Industry Participation Code 2010 (Code). The Code sets out the rules for the electricity sector.
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment monitors the Electricity Authority on behalf of the Minister of Energy and Resources, carrying out the role set out in Section 27A of the Crown Entities Act.
Our statutory framework
The Electricity Industry Act 2010 provides the framework for the regulation of the electricity industry. Section 12 of the Act establishes the Electricity Authority as an independent Crown entity governed by the Crown Entities Act 2004. Section 15 of the Act sets out our main statutory objective:
"To promote competition in, reliable supply by, and the efficient operation of, the electricity industry for the long-term benefit of consumers."
Section 15 of the Act also sets out an additional objective for us:
"To protect the interests of domestic consumers and small business consumers in relation to the supply of electricity to those consumers."
Our independence
As an independent Crown entity, we can select our own work programme as long as it meets our statutory objectives. It also means we can test ideas and challenge the status quo with consumers’ best interests at the heart of everything we do.
How we are funded
We're funded by the Government through appropriations of public money. The Government recovers this cost through a levy on electricity industry participants.
Industry participants may pass this cost on to consumers. This means a portion is on-charged through electricity bills – about 0.4% of a typical household electricity bill.
Electricity is an enabler – a mechanism for change and progress
Electricity plays a critical role in the quality of our lives and businesses, the state of our environment, the strength of our communities, the performance of our economy and the nation as a whole.
Our work provides the platform from which electricity can be used to make things better. We guide the nation’s electricity system on behalf of all New Zealanders – promoting positive outcomes today and ensuring continued enhancement and reliability for future generations.