New research shows New Zealanders’ satisfaction with the power sector is waning.
Photo: RNZ
New Zealanders’ satisfaction with the power sector is waning, according to research from Consumer.
It has reported on the results of its latest research into the energy sector. It found sector satisfaction for energy companies had slumped to 50 percent in 2026, from a peak of 54 percent in 2023. It ranked behind banks, KiwiSaver providers, insurance companies and internet providers.
Within that, there was significant difference between the providers. Smaller retailers tended to be rated better, and pulled up the average, Consumer said.
More than half of people said they took a negative view on power companies’ profits being higher than usual, 44 percent had a negative view on the fairness of their most recent bill, and 43 percent had negative view on energy company profits generally. Only 31 percent had positive views on energy company profits, 29 percent had a positive view on their recent bill fairness.
Consumer NZ said it noted that energy companies were expected to report above-average profits this year.
Forty-five percent said there was room for improvement in how the market worked. Only 26 percent thought it was working well for consumers.
Fifty-five percent said energy issues would affect how they vote.
Consumer NZ chief executive Jon Duffy said there was a growing sense that there was something unfair in the power market.
Consumer NZ chief executive Jon Duffy.
Photo: Supplied / Consumer NZ
“Where we are generating electricity mostly from free, renewable resources. But we’re paying significant amounts of our household income for the privilege.
“I think this is just a growing signal, the data shows there’s a growing sense of unfairness. People feel that energy should be a non-negotiable.
“You shouldn’t have to be thinking about putting food on the table or heating your house. In a modern, Western democracy, we should be able to provide our population warmth and [an] increasing number of households are reporting they’ve got to make that trade-off.
“They’re going to bed early and staying under the covers to keep warm. It’s just not acceptable.”
Consumer’s research showed that a quarter of household struggled to pay a monthly power bill and 24 percent had missed payments.
Power had shifted from a background household cost to the front of people’s minds, it said.
Just under 40 percent of people rated it a top household concern, up from 21 percent in 2023.
Consumer said when it came to customer satisfaction, value for money was the biggest driver, followed by customer support and competitive pricing.
Many people thought about switching – 42 percent in the past year – but only 8 percent actually moved, often because they did not find a better deal.
Consumer’s research showed that a significant chunk of people were not aware of whether they were on a time-of-use plan or not.
Powerswitch general manager Paul Fuge said it had the potential to save 20 percent for people who were motivated to change their behaviour and use power at off-peak times.
“I think there’s a real risk around time-of-use plans in terms of consumers that tend to be disengaged from the industry just getting a message that if you move to time of use it’ll be cheaper for you. It certainly can be cheaper but not for everybody. So we think there’s a real education piece around time of use to explain to customers exactly what they are, who they suit and what you need to do in terms of behaviour change to benefit from them, because there is a danger, particularly the gas households or households that just aren’t suited to behaviour change could end up costing more.”
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