Editorial: Country must pull together in power crisis

Times of crisis bring out the best and worst in people, creating, as they do, points of change and moments when something must give. Unfortunately, this year's power "crisis" has provoked the worse side-effects first, with too many New Zealanders seeking someone to blame rather than realising that something substantial must be done, now. Blame can and must wait. The national savings target of 10 per cent was announced to assure continued power supply while hydro lakes are at just two-thirds of average autumn water levels. After two weeks, the best the country has done has been 4.7 per cent last Friday and Saturday.

So far, so bad. Worse, though, is the reaction to a statistical breakdown in which Auckland has recorded savings far lower than many other regions, for example just 1.9 per cent last Thursday. Critics have been swift to portray Aucklanders as failing to match the sacrifice being made by community-spirited New Zealanders at large. The Invercargill Mayor, Tim Shadbolt, claims a perception that Aucklanders have gone on strike and are, perversely, stoking up their spa pools to use more power than normal. The criticism, and the small-minded jealousies it represents, are unfortunate and probably premature. Those willing to undermine Auckland at any opportunity should think again. The Winter Power Taskforce notes that many major Auckland business users had introduced savings policies through last week and the effects will be shown in new regional figures to be released tomorrow. Moreover, the moderate weather in the northern part of the North Island has meant that few people would have been using household heating, a major consumer of electricity in parts further south. The potential for greater restraint is plainly higher in those colder areas. Therefore the statistics for power saved may never be uniform across the nation.

That said, all areas, including Auckland, can and should do more towards the overall target of 10 per cent. The longer the country underperforms in that task the higher the targeted savings will become and the greater the need for sharp, involuntary measures to prevent blackouts. Warnings of cuts to water heating grow more ominous by the day. Those who deny the need for personal action as some kind of protest against the politicians, businesses or systems which have mismanaged supply are misguided. They are not wrong on the need for any or all of those to be held to account. But they would be cutting off figurative noses to spite faces if by continuing to use electricity as normal they contributed to measures of increasing severity on households, particularly of the old and poor, later in the winter. There is no point now in insisting that heads should roll or that the market must be left to work its own magic by forcing prices sky high to stop consumption. Residences and businesses need electricity and residences and businesses must conserve just enough to ensure that their power keeps flowing.

As for blame, the Government, two years after the last winter power shortage, is belatedly reviewing the generation, network and retailing system and the electricity market. Market participants are busy fingerpointing at competitors, suppliers and even purchasers. Vocal mainlanders and those who would goad Auckland need, metaphorically, to take a cold shower. Now is not the time for point scoring. When the country has either been saved from itself by substantial, lasting rainfall or has saved enough to greet the spring unbowed, the sources of the crisis can be identified and, hopefully, eliminated for good.