Jamie Gray tells us that New Zealand’s electricity sector looks set to become an election issue in 2026.
I think we would all be better off if the Government (I mean the next one) seized the assets of the NZ Superannuation Fund and used them to buy back 100% of all the electricity gentailers, and convert them into a state agency to provide us all with electricity at cost as a social necessity, a 'public good'.
This is what Labour ought to campaign on in 2026. And if they're too neoliberally lily-livered to do it, let's hear it from the Greens.
Jamie Gray: With power prices on the rise and 2024’s price spike still fresh in voters’ minds, politicians can reliably be expected to use electricity as a platform.
Separately, there are concerns about the impact that rapidly diminishing gas... reserves will have on the economy.
Power prices are on the rise – stemming mostly from the cost of distribution – and look set to continue upward over the next few years.
Stats NZ consumers price index data showed electricity prices were up 11.3% in the year to September.
Household prices increased by an average $10 a month in April 2025, reflecting rising levels of investment need for the electricity network.
Jamie Gray tells us that New Zealand’s electricity sector looks set to become an election issue in 2026.
I think we would all be better off if the Government (I mean the next one) seized the assets of the NZ Superannuation Fund and used them to buy back 100% of all the electricity gentailers, and convert them into a state agency to provide us all with electricity at cost as a social necessity, a 'public good'.
This is what Labour ought to campaign on in 2026. And if they're too neoliberally lily-livered to do it, let's hear it from the Greens.
Jamie Gray: With power prices on the rise and 2024’s price spike still fresh in voters’ minds, politicians can reliably be expected to use electricity as a platform.
Separately, there are concerns about the impact that rapidly diminishing gas... reserves will have on the economy.
Power prices are on the rise – stemming mostly from the cost of distribution – and look set to continue upward over the next few years.
Stats NZ consumers price index data showed electricity prices were up 11.3% in the year to September.
Household prices increased by an average $10 a month in April 2025, reflecting rising levels of investment need for the electricity network.