Standard Code amendment template instrument

This legislation is administered by the Electricity Authority. For more information please see:

Contact phone: +64 4 460 8860

Contact address: PO Box 10041, Wellington 6143

Electricity Industry Participation Code (Connection Pricing Related Amendments) Amendment 2026

This amendment to the Electricity Industry Participation Code 2010 (Code) is made under sections 38 and 39(3) of the Electricity Industry Act 2010 (Act) by the Electricity Authority having complied with section 39 of the Act.

	Contents
1	Title	1
2	Commencement	2
3	Code amended	2
	Part 1 Amendments to Part 1 of the Electricity Industry Participation Code
4	Clause 1.1 amended (Interpretation)	2
	Part 2 Amendments to Part 6B of the Electricity Industry Participation Code
5	Clause 6B.8 amended (Determining connection charges, contributions and rebates for pioneer schemes)	2
6	Clause 6B.10 amended (Distributor must provide connection charge reconciliation on request)	3
7	Clause 6B.11 amended (Connection charge reconciliation requirements)	3

Amendment

1 Title

This is the Electricity Industry Participation Code (Connection Pricing Related Amendments) Amendment 2026.

2 Commencement

This amendment comes into force immediately after the commencement of the Electricity Industry Participation Code (Connection Pricing Requirements) Amendment 2025.

3 Code amended

This amendment amends the Electricity Industry Participation Code 2010.

Part 1

Amendments to Part 1 of the Electricity Industry Participation Code

4 Clause 1.1 amended (Interpretation)

(1) In clause 1.1(1), definition of connection applicant, insert “for the purposes of Part 6B” before “means”.

(2) In clause 1.1(1), definition of minimum scheme, insert “and network connection standards as defined in the distributor’s distributor agreement” after “distributor’s connection and operation standards”.

(3) In clause 1.1(1), definition of pioneering connection works, paragraph (a), insert “, excluding the cost of any connection enhancement, but including the costs incurred by the connection applicant under any other pioneer scheme covering any part of the distributor’s network that the pioneering connection works directly connect to,” after “connection applicant”.

Part 2

Amendments to Part 6B of the Electricity Industry Participation Code

5 Clause 6B.8 amended (Determining connection charges, contributions and rebates for pioneer schemes)

(1) In clause 6B.8(4)(a)(iii), replace “:” with “;”.

(2) After clause 6B.8(4)(iii), insert:

(iv) the distributor must exclude the costs of any connection enhancement or equivalent costs in respect of vested pioneering works;

(v) the distributor must include the costs incurred by a pioneer under any other pioneer scheme covering any part of the distributor’s network that the pioneering connection works or vested pioneering works directly connect to:

(3) After clause 6B.8(5), insert:

(5A) If a rebate is unable to be paid to a pioneer because the pioneer cannot be located after a reasonable attempt has been made by the distributor do so—

(a) the distributor must take reasonable steps to repay the corresponding amount of pioneer scheme contributions already collected to those that paid it, in proportion to their contribution; and

(b) the distributor may retain any amount that cannot be repaid in accordance with paragraph (a); and

(c) pioneer scheme contributions that would have been paid to the missing pioneer under the pioneer scheme must no longer be collected.

6 Clause 6B.10 amended (Distributor must provide connection charge reconciliation on request)

(1) In clause 6B.10(3)(a), delete “within the timeframe specified by the Authority”.

(2) In clause 6B.10(3)(b), replace “.” with “; and”.

(3) After clause 6B.10(3)(b), insert:

(c) provide the information requested under this subclause in the form, manner, and at the time and/or frequency specified by the Authority.

7 Clause 6B.11 amended (Connection charge reconciliation requirements)

(1) In clause 6B.11(4)(c)(ii), insert “at the time of that mid-point estimate of vanilla WACC” after “Reserve Bank of New Zealand”.

(2) In clause 6B.11(4)(d), delete “not”.

(3) In clause 6B.11(5), definition of ASO, paragraph (d), insert “, other than an amount or charge payable to Transpower,” after “costs”

Made at Wellington on 25 February 2026

Erik Westergaard

Acting Chair

Electricity Authority

Certified in order for signature:

Nicholai Mumford Nick Crang

Senior Legal Counsel Partner

Electricity Authority Duncan Cotterill

24 February 2026 19 February 2026

Explanatory Note

This note is not part of the amendment but is intended to indicate its general effect.

This amendment to the Electricity Industry Participation Code 2010 (Code) comes into force on 1 April 2026 immediately after the commencement of the Electricity Industry Participation Code (Connection Pricing Requirements) Amendment 2025.

The amendment makes several minor changes to provisions in the Code (as amended by the Electricity Industry Participation Code (Connection Pricing Requirements) Amendment 2025) relating to the connection pricing requirements in Part 6B to clarify those requirements and ensure they better achieve the objectives of the Authority.

This is secondary legislation issued under the authority of the Legislation Act 2019.
Title	Electricity Industry Participation Code (Connection Pricing Related Amendments) Amendment 2026
Principal or amendment	Amendment
Consolidated version	No
Empowering Act and provisions	Electricity Industry Act 2010, section 38
Replacement empowering Act and provisions	Not applicable
Maker name	Electricity Authority
Administering agency	Electricity Authority
Date made	25 February 2026
Publication date	3 March 2026
Notification date	4 March 2026
Commencement date	Immediately after the commencement of the Electricity Industry Participation Code (Connection Pricing Requirements) Amendment 2025 (1 April 2026).
End date (when applicable)	Not applicable
Consolidation as at date	Not applicable
Related instruments	Electricity Industry Participation Code 2010