Closure of section 16 review

The Electricity Authority Te Mana Hiko (Authority) has closed an investigation into concerns raised with us about pricing, contract availability, and business conduct in the electricity market.

In August 2025, we started a review under section 16 of the Electricity Industry Act 2010 focused on business consumers’ access to electricity contracts, including commercial and industrial consumers. Section 16 enabled the Authority to use formal information gathering powers to look more closely into pricing and other key terms offered to business consumers to assess if there was a deeper issue.

Despite considerable effort there has been very limited industry engagement.

The Authority sought input from a range of stakeholders including energy brokers, sector groups, and business consumers and undertook public promotion inviting parties to come forward.

The Authority also requested a range of information on contract practices from gentailers in an effort to substantiate the concerns that had been raised.

In the absence of sufficient information and grounds on which to progress the investigation the Authority has decided to close the investigation. However, if any further information comes to light, the Authority may consider these matters again in future.