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Kawepūrongo, Putanga Pāpāho & Ngā Pānui

Latest news, updates and media releases about UDL, the energy industry and the people we work with.

Media Enquiries

For media enquiries email Diana.  

You can also call or text 0212880552.

 

 

Research

  • What are the implications for the "Squeezed Middle"

    Research from Martin Jenkins

    An analysis of the "squeezed middle" in Aotearoa and the ways that UDL can support them. We have defined the squeezed middle as the 1.4 million people who indicate they only have just enough money to meet their everyday needs.

    Some key elements of the "squeezed middle":

    • more likely to experience problems with their electricity company than other utilities
    • typically have household incomes between $60,000 to $80,000  
    • 50% are in full time employment
    • usually live with a partner or with a partner and children

    Read the full Martin Jenkins report here.

  • Economic Benefit that Utilities Disputes provides to Aotearoa | New Zealand Consumers and Utilities Companies?

    Research from New Zealand Institute of Economic Research (NZIER)

    NZIER and UDL have undertaken a cost-benefit analysis on the value of UDL’s free, independent, and fair services provide to Aotearoa New Zealand.

    Some of the findings include:

    • Up to $4.2M in savings a year if consumers didn’t have access to UDL’s services
    • Up to $2.9M in savings by avoiding additional negotiation to resolve their issues;
    • Reducing the amount utility companies may write off due to errors;
    • Identifying systemic issues; and
    • Improving the efficiency and effectiveness of utility companies complaint handling

    Read the full NZIER report here.

Media releases

  • The Board of Tautohetohe Whaipainga|Utilities Disputes (UDL) announces Commissioner and CEO Mary Ollivier will leave the organisation in December.

     “When Mary was appointed early in 2020, she immediately had to manage the organisation through the COVID pandemic, and a building evacuation due to earthquake strengthening issues” says Board Chair Hon Heather Roy. “She did this expertly, at the same time leading UDL's dispute resolution services to include water and telecommunications.”

     “Mary's impressive legal background allied with her ability to build strong relationships has been instrumental in improving trust and strengthening relationships between consumers and their utility providers.

     “She has spearheaded UDL’s Te Ao Māori journey incorporating tikanga into everyday practices at UDL.

     “The Board acknowledges and thanks Mary for the huge contribution she has made to UDL and wishes her well in her next endeavours.”

     “My decision to leave UDL was not an easy one and made with mixed emotions; however, the time is right for me as I take up a new challenge," says Mary Ollivier.

     “I am grateful for the amazing past four years. I want to pay tribute to the inspirational team at UDL, both past and present, including our fantastic Board, Advisory Committees, and stakeholders. 

     “UDL does incredible work in a dispute resolution environment that is not easy. Yet, it is incredibly rewarding, and vital that consumers have independent assistance with their utilities concerns.

     “Being part of the innovative energy and utilities sectors; and increasing consumer focus is a great place to be. The future is bright.”

     The Board will begin a recruitment process for Commissioner and CEO soon.

     

    Media contact
    Diana Wolken
    Communications Manager
    Email: diana@udl.co.nz
    Phone: 021 288 0552 

  • UDL welcomes Ruth Smithers to the UDL Board. 

    Ruth is the Chief Executive for FinCap and joins us as an experienced leader and manager in the not-for-profit and government sectors in health and social services organisations. Ruth was previously Deputy Chief Executive at Tui Ora, a large iwi-based health and social services provider in Taranaki. Ruth has also run her own management consultancy and serves on a number of boards bringing governance expertise to UDL. 

    “We are delighted that Ruth is joining our Board,” says Hon Heather Roy, Chair of the UDL Board. “Ruth’s understanding of the issues facing the people we work with day in and day out, especially Māori and Pacific people, will be invaluable in how we continue to deliver our services to those who need our support.”

    The Board has also decided to appoint a future director for a period of 12 months. Corey Hebberd is General Manager at Te Rūnanga a Rangitāne o Wairau Trust. Corey has whakapapa connections to Te Ātiawa, Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Apa, and Ngāti Kuia, as well as Rangitāne. “Corey is passionate about caring for communities, which is at the heart of who we want to help. We hope to learn as much from him as he will learn from us,” says Hon Heather Roy. After eight years with the organisation Major Campbell Roberts is stepping down. “Campbell was appointed to the current Board in 2017 during a time of change and growth having previously served as a consumer representative on UDL’s former Board - The Office of the Electricity and Gas Complaints Commissioner’ - from 2013,” says Hon Heather Roy.

    “Campbell’s passion and extensive knowledge working in social justice and social policy and working with community organisations and those at the margins of society have been of enormous benefit to UDL.  We owe him a debt of gratitude and wish him well,” says Mary Ollivier, UDL’s Commissioner. 

    Further background

    Major Campbell Roberts is the founding director of the Salvation Army social policy and parliamentary unit. Currently a Director of Kāinga Ora, the Salvation Army Social Housing, Community Finance, and a member of the New Zealand Parole Board. He has held a range of governance roles with New Zealand Housing Foundation, Robson Hanan Trust, Community Housing Aotearoa, and Habitat for Humanity. Campbell has held ministerial appointments in the areas of housing, child poverty, and social policy. Campbell is a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit.

    Ruth Smithers – https://www.fincap.org.nz/fincap-welcomes-new-chief-executive-ruth-smithers/
    Corey Hebberd – https://www.rangitane.org.nz/

    Media contact
    Diana Wolken
    Communications Manager
    Email: diana@udl.co.nz
    Phone: 021 288 0552

News

  • Electricity: What Kiwis fear, and how UDL can help 

    The Consumer Advocacy Council recently completed its first sentiment survey of small business and residential electricity consumers, gauging public opinion on the biggest electricity issues facing consumers. Following this release, UDL has put together the following summary outlining some of the biggest issues consumers face, and how we can you help manage them. 

    Price 

    The findings 

    Over two-thirds of respondents expressed concerns that the price of electricity may become too high for some consumers in the future, with 52% believing they may be amongst those priced out. Over the last year, 42% of consumers believe it’s become more difficult to pay their electricity bill. 

    How we can help! 

    We cannot investigate complaints solely about the price of electricity. Price is decided via contractual agreement between provider and consumer, which cannot be challenged within our jurisdiction. However, we can check the provider has given you good information about the price, and we can check your bills are correct. This includes issues around billing periods, meter readings, and forms of payment.  

    If you believe you’ve received an incorrect charge and can’t settle with your provider, UDL may be able to help. 

     

    Severe Weather 

    The findings 

    Somewhat presciently, the survey included a question on the importance of ensuring New Zealand’s electricity system is resilient to extreme weather events to avoid electricity outages. Unsurprisingly, 74% of consumers surveyed responded with a 7 or higher, signalling ‘important’. Similarly, 57% of consumer respondents expressed concerns that the existing network was not resilient enough.  

    How we can help! 

    While UDL offers support to anyone impacted by severe weather, our discussions with utility providers have highlighted the unprecedented nature of the recent conditions and the immense work happening across the industry to deal with outages. We encourage anyone impacted by outages due to severe weather now or in the future to first contact their provider.  

    If the situation is urgent, such as an outage to those medically dependent on electricity, and attempts to contact your provider fail, please contact UDL on 0800 22 33 40 or email us on info@udl.co.nz.  We will use our own channels to contact providers and ensure the necessary care is immediate provided. 

     

    Quality of Service 

    The findings 

    The survey found that 72% of New Zealanders are satisfied with their current provider, while only 4% are actively dissatisfied. A variety of metrics were used to define satisfaction, including regularity of outages, existence of special deals (e.g., free power at certain time), and quality of customer service. Dissatisfied consumers faced issues such as inconsistent billing, poor customer service, and regular outages.  

    How we can help! 

    In cases where consumers face quality of service issues, UDL may be able to help. The Consumer Guarantees Act requires that electricity providers supply electricity that is safe, reliable, and consistent. The guarantee says this safety, reliability, and consistency must be what a reasonable consumer would expect supply to be in that place. 

    This guarantee can be breached through consistent surges, damage to appliances, or regular outages. However, these issues may be considered reasonable depending on the location of the property, the level of control the provider had in avoiding these issues, and more. If you’ve experience any consistent problems with your electricity and believe it may be unreasonable, contact UDL and we’ll see what we can do. 

     If you have a complaint to lodge against your utility provider, please get in contact with UDL on 0800 22 33 40 or email info@udl.co.nz  

  • The Electricity Authority (the Authority) and Utilities Disputes Ltd (UDL) recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), formalising an even closer working relationship for the two organisations based on mutual assistance and cooperation.

    The Authority and Utilities Disputes share a common focus on improving the consumer experience in the electricity sector.

    The new MoU will help to streamline communication, cooperation, and information sharing, where appropriate, between the two agencies.

    The Authority has a particular responsibility to safeguard the long-term benefits of consumers, and also recently published new Consumer Care Guidelines. The guidelines educate retailers and consumers about their responsibilities and what consumers can expect of their retailer if they are in hardship or are medically dependent.

    You can read more about the new MoU and the Consumer Care Guidelines on the EA website.

     You can read the MOU here.  

     

Updates

  • We appreciate that as inflation rises and the cost of living rises many households in Aotearoa New Zealand are facing hardship.

    The information below is designed to assist you understand why you may be seeing higher bills from your power company and what you can do.

    Utilities Disputes – who are we?

    Utilities Disputes – Tautohetohe Whaipainga (UDL) is a free and independent dispute resolution service in the energy market.

     While we cannot look at a complaint that is solely about the price of your energy use we can ensure a power company has: 

    • done what it should to help you identify the right plan for your household
    • explained their charges adequately, including price increases, so you know what you are paying for 
    • provided the right information to you and followed the Consumer Care Guidelines the Electricity Authority has in place.

    We can work with you and your power company to resolve any complaint.  If that is not successful we can issue a decision.

    What is the removal of low fixed tariffs?

    The overall cost of your electricity is broken down into two main parts.

    1. you pay for the actual electricity you use, and;
    2. a fee for the upkeep of the power grid that delivers electricity from the power station into your home – this fee is called a daily fixed charge.

    The government has approved the removal of a low daily fixed charge sometimes called the low fixed tariff which was available to low users of power.  From 1 April 2022 this is being  phased out over five years  The phase-out period of five years is to help limit the impact on consumers’ electricity bills.

    The government’s view is that the low fixed tariffs, originally intended to help those in need, are no longer beneficial. Around 68% of all electricity users are now eligible for the low fixed tariff meaning fewer are paying the standard fixed rate to cover the costs of maintaining the grid.

    Low user plans may come with a higher rate for actual power use. One side effect of this is that some people underheat their homes to save on power bills which can harm their health and well-being.

    Government believes that most households (around 60%) including low-income earners will be better off from this change as power companies may offer pricing plans that can help manage peak periods of electricity use and avoid costly network upgrades keeping overall prices lower for consumers.

    What is low use?

    Low use is defined as 8000 kWh per year in the North Island or 9000 kWh per year in the South Island. 

    What impact will there be from the removal of low fixed tariffs?

    Analysis of the impact on households suggests about 60 per cent of all households - about 970,000 households - are expected to have lower power bills during the phase-out.  But around 40 per cent - about 690,000 households - are expected to face higher power bills.

    While the government expects all households to benefit long-term from the changes, there is uncertainty over the short-term impact during the phase out, including how retailers will structure their pricing plans over the next five years.  Because of this, the Government will conduct a mid-point review of the phase out sometime in late 2023.

    Are all power companies removing the low fixed tariff?

    Not all power companies are removing the tariff immediately.   Your power company will let you know if they are making any changes. Some power companies that are may voluntarily offer some form of discounted daily fixed charge for low use households.

    Government has secured an industry commitment to develop and fund a $5 million power credits scheme to support low-income, low-use households who are struggling to pay their power bills through the phase-out. Any such households should contact their power company for information and support. Participating power companies may be able to offer a power credit towards their power bill once the scheme begins.

    How much are we talking about?

    The low fixed tariff is currently 30c a day (plus GST).   Power companies are able to increase this over a five-year period.  Some have chosen not to at this stage.  

    Those power companies that are phasing out the low fixed tariff over time may apply the first increase up to 60c a day (plus GST). This may continue to increase by 30c a day (plus GST) each year for 5 years until 2027.

    Annually the increase will be from the current $110 per year (plus GST) to $220 (plus GST) increasing  each year to $657 (plus GST) by 2027.

    What other fees are changing?

    It is common for electricity rates to change just once every 12 months. At the same time as the beginning of the removal of the low fixed tariff, some power companies are increasing their variable rates as often happens around the first few months of the year.

    Some lines companies are also increasing their variable charges.  These will be passed on to you by your power company.

    If you are on a fixed rate plan you may notice no change until your plan comes to an end.

    I receive gas from my power company – is this going up too?

    If you are connected to gas you may also experience an increase in your fixed daily rate as well as an increase in the variable rate.

    If I can’t pay my bill what can I do?

    First talk with your power company. 

    Power companies are required to follow the Electricity Authority’s voluntary consumer care guidelines and work with their customers facing payment difficulties to help them access and afford a constant supply of electricity to meet their home needs.

    If I want to know more or cannot pay my bill where do I go?

    You can also compare the prices and services of different retailers. New Zealand has a number of third-party methods for consumers to estimate energy usage and compare prices such as Powerswitch.

    Power Switch is also available for energy customers to compare their pricing plans with other power companies https://www.powerswitch.org.nz/.

    There are many national agencies that may be able to assist you. Some of these are listed below:

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