We're letting consumers in Wellington, the Hutt Valley and Porirua know that from 1 April 2025 our power lines charges are set to change. At an overall level they’re increasing by 19.1%, but to understand how you might be affected please read on.  

What’s changed?  

Every five years the Commerce Commission determines how much cost lines companies can recover to maintain and invest in their networks. Since the last cost reset in 2019, inflation and high interest rates have driven these costs higher. The Commerce Commission has reflected this in their most recent cost reset, which has contributed to our 2025 price increase. See our 2025 pricing page for more information.

How this affects your power bill   

Our price increase translates to around $10 a month for the average residential consumer, which is at the lower end of price increases across the country.  

  

We combine our charges (distribution charges) with Transpower’s transmission charges (the cost of running the National Grid) to make up lines charges (which usually account for around a third of your power bill). Electricity retailers then re-package our line charges with their own costs to make up your power bill.  

 

If you’re concerned about your power bill, contact your retailer. There are also a number of public resources available with advice on how to save money on your power bill, such as EnergyMate and Powerswitch.