Hawke’s Bay Power Consumers Trust election: Four out of five trustees retain their seat

Returning board members Barbara Arnott (left) and David Pearson with departing chair Diana Kirton at a meeting on ownership submissions at the East Pier Hotel in 2023. Photo / Warren Buckland

Former Napier Mayor Barbara Arnott is one of four people who have retained their spot on the board of trustees for the Hawke’s Bay Power Consumers Trust.

Voting for the new board closed at 5pm on Tuesday with returning officer Dale Ofsoske confirming the results.

Arnott, who secured 8372 votes, will sit for another term alongside power industry veteran Jeffrey Farnworth (8422 votes), former EIT Council chair and BDO managing partner David Pearson (7505), and lawyer Kirsten Westwood (8241).

Noted Hawke’s Bay businessman and new member Craig Waterhouse (6573) replaces Diana Kirton as the fifth and final member. Kirton, who was previously chair, did not run for re-election.

A new chair will be elected during the trust’s first meeting on Monday, October 14.

Seven people applied for roles on the board. Two were unsuccessful, with ex-Labour MP for Tukituki Anna Lorck gaining 3759 votes and former Unison employee Aydan Chatterton receiving 5959.

The role of the trust is to hold the shares in Unison Networks Limited on behalf of all consumers who are connected to Unison’s electricity networks in Hawke’s Bay.

Five trustees are elected every three years by consumers connected to Unison’s electricity network in the Hawke’s Bay Power Consumers’ Trust district (generally the area of Hastings District Council and Napier City Council).

There were 22 informal votes, and 14 blank votes returned. A final voter turnout was 18.53%, which compares to the 2020 election turnout of 20.21%.

A large part of the role of the trust involves facilitating the yearly dividend for those in Hawke’s Bay connected to the Unison network.

In this year’s dividend, to be paid in November, people will get an extra $260 in their back pockets, rising $20 from last year.

The dividend is exclusive of imputation credits and limited to a maximum of three payments per consumer.

Last year, the trust decided not to sell the shares it has held on the public’s behalf for three decades.

The decision ended a five-yearly review of the ownership, with the review process starting last March that included public consultation, calling for submissions, and a hearing of submitters who wished to speak to their submissions.

Also last year, Kirton admitted the trust had breached the Privacy Act by publishing personal details of power consumers who made submissions to its ownership review.