Distribution
Distribution refers to the power poles and lines that you can see across our streets and bush. Distribution companies transport electricity to homes and businesses where it is consumed. They reduce the voltage from the transmission system to a voltage that’s safe to use.
About distribution
Lines companies (or distribution companies) provide and maintain the power lines that carry electricity via power poles and lines from the national transmission grid to homes and businesses across New Zealand.
Lines companies ensure their customers receive their electricity at a particular level of quality and reliability. This includes keeping a certain amount of additional capacity available on the networks for each customer to use.
There are 29 lines companies which own the networks that transport electricity. Lines companies are mostly owned by consumer trusts or local councils, but some are privately owned.
Our role
What we do
We're responsible for overseeing distributors' interactions with other industry participants and ensuring they comply with the requirements of the Code.
More about distribution
Learn about how distributors operate and interact, their responsibilities and obligations. This section includes general information, as well as more technical information for industry participants.
Distribution pricing
Efficient distribution pricing helps provide a reliable and affordable electricity supply for consumers.
Distributors must reference our distribution pricing principles, publish their pricing methodology and discuss their pricing plans and progress with us each year.
Distribution losses
As electricity travels through power lines, a proportion of energy is lost as heat, due to the resistance in the lines.
Distributors need to adopt a methodology to determine and allocate losses arising on their networks.
Distributed generation
Distributed generation refers to technologies that generate electricity at or near where it will be used, such as solar panels.
We monitor and support the compliance of distributors and generators on the connection of distributed generation to distributors’ networks.
Distributors' obligations
Distributors must comply with their industry obligations set out in the Code. We have industry guidelines to support distributors to implement best practice.
Electricity Industry Participation Code 2010
The rules for all industry participants.
Report a breach
Industry participants are obliged by law to report all Code breaches.
The place to go for all electricity data
