Editorial: New Zealand should not have anyone feeling the cold this winter

On cold nights this mum and her three children often sleep in the lounge to avoid the expense of heating the rest of the house. Photo / Sylvie Whinray

OPINION

Every year, around 40,000 New Zealanders are disconnected from the power supply for non-payment, according to data from Consumer NZ.

Around the country, thousands of families are getting through winter in cold, dark homes, without a warm shower or a homecooked meal. For some, this ordeal lasts all winter long, with no reprieve.

Meanwhile, the main players in the power business are making huge profits – including charging hundreds for reconnections, often done by the touch of a button.

Consumer NZ reports the financial records of the “big four” power companies - Meridian, Contact, Genesis and Mercury – had combined earnings of $2.7 billion over the past year – about $7.4 million a day.

In a new series launched this week, Power to the People, the Herald highlights the living conditions of some of these families, and looks at what solutions could bring on the change - because change is desperately needed.

Since launching the series on Monday, the Herald has been contacted by numerous people sharing their stories of energy hardship.

Many Kiwis, including families with young children, are trying to survive the cold winter in homes without electricity. This is not a reality that any of us should accept.

Advocates for those struggling tell of solo mums only using power when their children are home, families turning the hot water cylinder off for days, using a BBQ to cook dinner and not heating the home.

Disconnection and reconnection fees of around $27 to $300 are an added hit for already financially stressed families. Some say they have no choice but to stay disconnected.

Those fees are “a penalty for being poor”, according to Kate Day, from advocacy group Common Grace. Common Grace is behind the “Everybody Connected” campaign, which calls for an end to these charges.

Day is encouraging New Zealanders to sign the petition, which will be presented to the Electricity Authority later this year, asking for a ban on disconnection/reconnection fees, protection of prepay customers by reining in unfair prices and tracking disconnections, and protection of all power customers by making the Consumer Care Guidelines mandatory.

Energy hardship expert Kimberly O’Sullivan from the University of Otago, who has made it her life’s work to research and find solutions for those struggling to keep the lights on, has seen firsthand the realities of people living without power, some for months at a time.

Some will go without other essentials to “keep the light on” because of the shame they feel when the power is cut.

“They don’t want the neighbours to notice the power has been off for days on end so they go without to pay the power bill,” she told the Herald.

“There are parents who will skip a meal and families who will turn off the hot water cylinder for days so they can afford the bill.”

According to O’Sullivan, we have Kiwis living without power and we also have Kiwis died because of lack of power.

“We don’t see it reported but if you look carefully there are people who are dying because of the way they are heating their house or what they are doing to cope without power,” she said.

Electricity is not a luxury. Being able to live in a warm home is a basic need that no one should have to go without.

We will continue to tell stories of energy hardship across New Zealand, hoping that soon there will be none left to tell.