Sharpening our focus on regional power prices

The Electricity Authority Te Mana Hiko has updated its regional power prices dashboard with new data, to provide greater transparency of electricity prices and costs across Aotearoa.

“We know many households and businesses are under pressure from rising power bills. We also know costs vary between regions,” said Andrew Millar, General Manager Retail and Consumer.

“For example, in areas with fewer customers to share the cost of maintaining and upgrading electricity networks, charges can be higher. This dashboard shows those differences and how they can affect people’s bills.”

Consumers can use the dashboard to explore electricity costs, and:

• compare their electricity use and costs with the average for their region
• check fixed and variable charges to see if they could get a better deal
• track monthly trends in electricity bills, lines charges and electricity use
• see how different cost components contribute to electricity bills.

“We encourage everyone to use www.Billy.govt.nz, the Electricity Authority’s free and independent price comparison website, to see if you can get a better deal on another plan,” Millar said.

“From 30 October, retailers should also provide a better plan assessment, so you can see if you’re on the right plan for your household."

Why power bills vary across regions

What households and businesses pay for electricity varies across regions. For example, in March 2026 (usually a lower-cost month as power use is lower in summer), the average electricity bill ranged from:

• $148 to $195 for low users
• $217 to $305 for standard users.

Electricity bills differ mainly because lines charges and generation costs vary. Lines charges started increasing in 2025 and are likely to keep rising until at least 2030, because lines companies are increasing investment to upgrade and meet growing demand.

Electricity bills also depend on retailers’ pricing and how much electricity is used. View the breakdown of an average power bill

We are looking more closely at what is driving price increases

While the Authority does not set prices, or regulate lines charges, it focuses on making sure the electricity market is competitive and works effectively for all New Zealanders.

“As well as doing what we can to improve transparency and choice for consumers, we want to understand what is driving higher power bills and whether the market is working as it should,” said Millar.

The Authority has requested further information from retailers about higher electricity bills. We will analyse this data carefully and follow up if anything appears unusual or unexpected. The findings will be shared once our analysis is complete.

View regional power prices dashboard