Consumer insights helping to shape the Electricity Authority’s work

The Electricity Authority Te Mana Hiko (Authority's) Consumer Perceptions and Sentiment Survey 2025 shows that affordability remains a pressing concern for New Zealanders and reinforces the priorities set out in our organisational strategy.

“The survey confirms what we hear from consumers – people are worried about the cost of power and unsure where to turn,” says Andrew Millar, General Manager Retail and Consumer.

The annual survey provides a baseline for tracking consumer perceptions of affordability, switching, engagement, relatability and security of electricity supply.  The results complement our focus on enhancing monitoring of the retail market and on strengthening the voice of consumers in the Authority’s decision-making.

Four in 10 residential consumers and a third of small businesses are not confident they can afford their power bills over the next six months. While most consumers agree it is worthwhile shopping around, few are considering switching over the next year.

The findings come as the Authority is bringing in changes so people can better understand their power use, find better deals and feel confident they’re not paying more than they need to.

Central to this work is a new website, launching in February, designed to make it quicker and easier to compare plans and switch providers with confidence.

“Our new website will empower consumers by making it much easier to compare plans side-by-side with what you’re currently paying, and then switch if you find a better deal,” says Millar.

“We’re also putting the onus on power companies to contact their customers regularly to make sure they’re on the best plan.”

Another important insight is that fewer than one third of those surveyed are confident help is available if they face financial difficulty or know where to go if unfairly treated by their power company.

“Consumer protections are fundamental to our electricity system,” says Millar. “We strongly encourage people to get in touch with us if they believe retailers are not meeting their Consumer Care Obligations.”

While most respondents rate their current supply as reliable, the survey shows weaker confidence in New Zealand’s ability to generate enough power to meet future demand. The Authority’s work programme addresses this through a modernised electricity system.

“We’re strengthening the system’s ability to cope with climate-related events, including through a proposed emergency reserve scheme ahead of next winter. We’ve also improved forecasting and transparency to support investment decisions and are making sure the system operator can run the power system safely, reliably and efficiently.”

Millar adds, “These insights really matter - they guide our work to give consumers access to affordable electricity and more choice while making sure our electricity system remains reliable, secure and resilient.”

Read the survey report

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