Commerce commission calls on business to report electricity companies
Photo:
RNZ / Alexander Robertson
The Commerce Commission is calling for business customers to anonymously report unfair or anti-competitive electricity industry practices.
The commission has an anonymous reporting tool that it uses to collect information about other industries, such as the grocery sector.
It is now making it available for reports about electricity as well, with encryption to avoid information being disclosed about the person making the report.
Commerce Commission chair John Small said if electricity suppliers were found to be misusing their market power to deter competition, it would take action.
The initiative was prompted by comments by Auckland Business Chamber chief executive Simon Bridges reported in the media, which said his members were uneasy or scared about raising complaints about their energy bills with their providers because they worried about retaliation, Small said.
"I contacted Simon because that's really concerning. He got a group of his members together, the Major Electricity Users Group, people like that. I got the Electricity Authority and we had a couple of hours talking about it in a group," he said.
"I really wanted to find out first of all what were the complaints and secondly was there evidence of breaches of the law the commission could prosecute. It was a really good discussion but it was all anecdotal."
Further investigation had not settled on anything concrete, he said, so it was decided a way to "flush out" the problem could be to expand the anonymous reporting tool.
"That works for us in other areas like cartels and groceries where there's the same kind of problem ... People can tell you stuff absolutely securely, knowing their name is never going to be published or found out. It might be that it doesn't get used, it might be all this goes away, sometimes a shot across the bows is all it takes to sharpen up behaviour."
He said he had concerns about the power sector more generally.
"We are working very closely with the Electricity Authority at the moment on a range of things. We will start to articulate a medium and longer-term regulatory strategy within a few weeks. It is under active consideration. I'm not at all happy with it."
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero
,
a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RNZ News
37 minutes ago
- RNZ News
The people quietly preserving a place for cash
The Reserve Bank is doing its once-every-two-year survey to understand how New Zealanders use, store and spend cash. Photo: 123RF As Kiwis' cash use comes under scrutiny, shopkeepers and emergency savers are among those quietly preserving a place for physical currency. At present, the Reserve Bank is doing its once-every-two-year survey to understand how New Zealanders use, store and spend cash. Dunedin residents, unscientifically surveyed by RNZ on Tuesday, said they were using cash for everything from groceries to public transport, pocket money, cheese rolls and, in Sheryn Wilson's case, to give to the less fortunate. "Occasionally, I'll get out $20 in change and give it to my granddaughter to give to the people along here. That's basically all I use it for. To give the homeless... but that's it," Wilson said. Physical money remained second preference to using a bank card, although she believed it was worthwhile to have a backup stash for emergencies. "It feels strange now to use cash. It feels old-fashioned and kind of dirty," she said. Clive Cockle said he always carried cash but tended to default to swiping his card. He said he also kept at least a few dollars for emergencies. However Daniel, who did not want his last name identified, said he actively avoided cash to try to restrain his spending. "I find it hard to save money if I've got cash lying around - I'll just spend it straight away. If I've got cash, every time I open my wallet, it's gone," he said. Clive Cockle said he keeps at least a few dollars for emergencies. Photo: VNP / Daniela Maoate-Cox This year, the Reserve Bank's random postal survey would ask people how they preferred to pay, how often they used cash, how easy it was to deposit and withdraw coins and notes, and whether they stored cash - and why. Reserve Bank's cash manager Ian Woolford said people's habits were shifting. The last survey found fewer people using cash day-to-day, but those who did used it more often and more people said they valued it for privacy and safety. "The work that we're doing is to make sure that consumers - citizens - can use it when and as they please," he said. The Dairy and Business Owners Group said it was becoming harder for shopkeepers to manage cash. Chairperson Ankit Bansal said some people were relying on dairies for small cash withdrawals when there were not banks nearby. But the reduced number of bank branches and the increase in 'cashless' banks made it hard for shopkeepers to maintain a float. Bansal said stores needed easy bank access because holding money on site was a safety risk. "Banks - this is their job. Essentially we're seeing them picking and choosing what services they're providing. So I hope to see some action on the banks," he said. Retail New Zealand chief executive Carolyn Young said cash was on the way out, although not in the near future. Fewer than one in ten nationwide retail transactions were now in cash, she said. "It's certainly always diminishing, but how long that tail is, we're not sure," Young said. Shopkeepers were not supportive of New Zealand First's recent members' bill, which would require making it mandatory for stores to take cash for purchases up to $500, she said. "Retailers... understand that cash is important, but they don't want to be dictated - that it's mandated. Part of it is what do people want and how do we make sure that that's working. It's not broken at the moment. We don't think that it's necessary," Young said. Jamie Jermain, the co-founder of the SquareOne app that helps children understand finance and managing their money, found some children didn't know what cash was. He said a tool kit was needed to teach children about money and it's value when cash is increasingly invisible in a digital world. "In this day in age, what kids are getting more and more used to seeing is their parents essentially tapping this magic wand on a terminal. They [young people] don't have that connection with money, they don't see how it works on a day-to-day basis," Jermain said. Educating children on how to earn, save and responsibly spend money is crucial for learning good money habits when children get older, Jermain said. "Those lessons are with them for life," he said. The Reserve Bank's survey closes on 10 October. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
37 minutes ago
- RNZ News
Private Security Personnel Licensing Authority cancels licences for guards accused of turning up to police events
By Jeremy Wilkinson, Open Justice reporter of The authority said Brent and Alison Shaw should have paid for the right security licence before they paid to have signwriting on their car. Photo: House and Farm Security / Facebook A security guard drew the ire of police for allegedly showing up to events and questioning witnesses, sometimes before the real cops turned up. Brent Shaw also painted a Toyota Wish with orange and blue patterns and lights similar to a police vehicle, and reportedly wore a uniform similar to actual police uniforms. Police became concerned that Shaw and an employee of his security business, House and Farm Security Service, were listening to police communications with a scanner and listed occasions where they would arrive at incidents in their security uniforms and signwritten vehicle, and collect information from people involved before police could arrive. The police radio frequency can be listened to in regional areas of New Zealand, but is encrypted within the main city centres. This prompted police to make a complaint to the Private Security Personnel Licensing Authority, which handles complaints about licensed security guards. Shaw and his wife Alison both had Certificates of Approval to work as employed security guards but didn't have a licence to run their own business because they couldn't afford the annual fees. Despite this, Shaw and an employee who didn't hold any kind of security licence would drive around New Plymouth in their signwritten vehicle for their unlicensed security business, House and Farm Security Service. The business advertised extensively through flyers, social media and business cards but only generated $320 worth of income in that period. According to a ruling by the authority released this week, the Shaws were found to have been running their business without a licence, and to have hired an employee to work as a security guard without a certificate of approval. "The fact the business was not successful and earned very little money does mean House and Farm Security Service does not fit within the definition of a crowd controller or property guard …" authority head Trish McConnell said. "Before spending money on their vehicle, uniforms, flyers and advertising Mr and Mrs Shaw should have applied for a security licence." Part of the Shaws' argument in response to the complaint from police was that they hadn't hired an employee because they didn't get any regular work, but had him work a one-off security gig at a local festival. McConnell said this was a breach of the licensing rules and in addition, they had allowed that worker to wear a uniform for several months and hold himself out as a legitimate security worker. It's the second time Shaw has fallen foul of the authority after receiving a warning in 2017 for operating a similar business without a licence. McConnell described the Shaws' conduct as "intentional and ongoing" and despite being warned about needing a licence, they didn't get one. McConnell cancelled both Brent and Alison Shaw's personal security licences and fined them $800, which was the cost of the annual licence for their business that they didn't pay when they set it up. Brian Shaw told NZME he denied having a scanner capable of listening to police communications, and turning up at incidents before actual police to talk to witnesses. Shaw claimed instead that on one occasion he had witnessed a car accident and taken down the details of a driver who had left the scene, which he passed on to police. * This story originally appeared in the New Zealand Herald .
RNZ News
37 minutes ago
- RNZ News
Waimakariri's new councillors may get 22% pay bump
Deputy Mayor Neville Atkinson and Mayor Dan Gordon. Photo: Waimakariri District Council. Photo: LDR / SUPPLIED Waimakariri's mayor and councillors are set for pay rises of up to 22 percent after October's election. Councillor pay rates will jump from $58,110 to $71,026. Speaking at a council meeting on Tuesday, outgoing Deputy Mayor Neville Atkinson said councillors were "well worth" the increased pay rate. The mayor's salary is set to rise 4 percent, from $158,057 to $164,728, while the deputy mayor's salary is proposed to jump 22 percent, from $74,674 to $91,271. The pay jumps are due to an increased remuneration pool. Atkinson said voting on pay rises is "silly" when it is already set by the Remuneration Authority. "It is imposed on you and it has always seemed silly to me that we have to vote on this, when it is already imposed on us. "If you want to give it to charity you can, but if you want to take it, then good on you - you are well worth it." Atkinson said there was plenty of commentary on social media about what bonuses councillors allegedly claimed. "It talks about the bonuses which we actually don't get. We don't get flying allowances - we don't want them, and we don't get lunch allowances - we don't want them. "We want to look after ratepayers' money. "But this extra money will allow people to make a conscious decision of whether they want a full-time job alongside being a councillor or not." Retiring councillor Al Blackie said while councillors did not do it for the money, they did have a big workload. ''A little bit more money in the pot can only be a good thing in encouraging young people and particularly young women to stand.'' Councillor Tim Fulton said his only concern was the ''gaps'' in the childcare allowance, which will increase from $6000 a year to $7500 a year per child. He said it did not take into account the sacrifices a spouse of an elected member might have to make when arranging childcare. Waimakariri District Council governance manager Sarah Nichols said the childcare allowance could not be used to pay a partner or grandparents. ''It is generally used for an independent person or for childcare facilities. ''We have had a handful of members who have claimed it in the time we've had it, and it has never been for anywhere near the total amount allowed.'' The Hurunui District Council last week voted against offering a childcare allowance, despite the support or four councillors. There was no opposition expressed by the 10 councillors or Mayor Dan Gordon to the remuneration package presented, which also includes payrises for community board members. The Remuneration Authority recently completed a review how it determines local government remuneration and well recommended no changes. It considers population, economic growth and the geographic area of the district when setting the remuneration pool for the deputy mayor councillors' salaries. Pay rates across the country vary from about $20,000 at the lower end, to more than $300,000 for Auckland mayor. The payrises for the deputy mayor and remaining nine councillors will be finalised after the local government elections on October 11. LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
