Who are ERANZ & what do we do?

We represent companies that sell electricity to Kiwi homes and businesses. Collectively, our members supply almost 90 percent of New Zealand’s electricity.  

Our membership is made up of: Contact Energy, Genesis Energy, Manawa Energy, Mercury, Meridian Energy, and Nova Energy. 

We work for a competitive, fair, and sustainable electricity market that benefits New Zealand consumers.  

Our three core priorities are: 

1. Advocating for an efficient energy market. 

1. Supporting the most vulnerable in our society gain fair access to energy.  

1. Championing electricity as the key driver for New Zealand's zero emissions future. 

Day to day, we prioritise activities that support good consumer outcomes and build understanding of the electricity sector – including energy-saving tips, expert advice on creating warmer, healthier homes, and providing information about Consumer Care Guidelines. What we do can range from collating simple information on how to read a power bill to developing a tool that uses complex algorithms to calculate the cheapest, most energy efficient method of heating your home. (ERANZ Carbon Calculator – in development).  

We regularly engage with government officials and departments to provide feedback and input to policy and strategic direction, and with community groups to deliver targeted support to consumers needing assistance. Read our submissions here. 

But we don’t just talk and write submissions!  

We also manage and operate programmes which help consumers. These include: 

• The EnergyMate programme (launched in 2019) which is funded by ERANZ members and lines companies alongside the Government. This free in-home coaching service is targeted to help whānau at risk of energy hardship – such as those who are struggling to pay their power bill or keep their home warm.  To date, the service has supported more than 2,300 families and was expanded into 18 locations across the motu last year. Learn more here.
• The low-fixed charge Power Credits scheme (launched in 2022) which provides households in hardship who are transitioning off the low-fixed charge with $110 credits on their bills. The five-year phase-out of the low-fixed charge regulations began on 1 April 2022 and has issued over $1 million worth of credits to consumers to date. The low-fixed charge, once fully removed in 2027, will end the cross subsidy from larger consumers to smaller consumers and provide better price incentives to households to decarbonise.  

We excel at working with other organisations across the wider energy sector on initiatives that support consumer choice.  For example, ERANZ runs the Powering Change initiative (launched in May 2023) which promotes efforts across the energy sector to offer Kiwis more renewable options. The website includes targets illustrating New Zealand's progress towards the goal ensuring 50% of all energy use comes from renewable sources by 2035.  

We’re proud that New Zealand offers a sustainable world-class electricity system - which is robust, efficient, reliable and cost-effective.  

With the electricity sector well-poised to lead the charge in decarbonising our economy, there is still considerable work to be done to meet the ambitious Net Zero goals, while ensuring economic stability and long-term energy affordability.  

At ERANZ, we're excited by the challenge and will continue to work hard to ensure a competitive, fair, and sustainable electricity market that benefits New Zealand consumers.