More than 280,000 mostly pre-pay customers had their power cut off in the first 10 months of 2025, according to new data from the Electricity Authority.
The information is included in a new disconnections for non-payment dashboard which shows how often and how long customers are disconnected.
The dashboard is part of the Authority’s work to strengthen monitoring and accountability in the retail electricity market and “support better outcomes for consumers”.
Here’s what it showed from January to October 2025:
- Total disconnections over the 10 months were 282,370
- About one in two customers had multiple disconnections, with some being disconnected more than 10 times
- The lion’s share of the disconnections, 97 per cent, were for prepay rather than post-pay customers
- An average of 27,000 prepay customers were disconnected each month, affecting about 10,000 prepay customers (about 35% of prepay
customers), with 58% disconnected more than once - 94% of prepay disconnections lasted less than a day
- Disconnections were higher in the winter months
- Post-pay customers were rarely disconnected, with an average of 810 disconnections per month, affecting less than 0.1% of post-pay customers
- 44% of post-pay disconnections lasted less than one day;
Post-pay disconnections per month declined by 36% (from 1,025 in January to 661 in October).
New Zealand has around two million electricity connections, and most customers (98.6%) are on post-pay rather than prepay plans.
The Authority says that new disconnections for non-payment dashboard gives insights into consumer care practices and help identify where some prepay customers may be facing energy hardship.
Subsequently, the Electricity Authority is working with retailers, social sector agencies and community groups to understand what’s behind these patterns, particularly for prepay customers, and where extra support may be needed.
Looking ahead, the Electricity Authority intends to expand the dashboard to include aggregate and regional disconnection rates, and engage with customers, retailers and agencies to interpret findings and gain more data on trends and drivers.
Grey Power members experiencing difficulties with their power companies or wanting to raise comments or concerns can contact Grey Power’s off-board energy chair, energy@greypower.co.nz.
