Everyone Connected Campaign
I have been involved in a campaigning for economic justice through the “Everyone Connected” Campaign. I have created documents social posts and video content being a part of this campaigning team. Everybody Connected focuses on economic equity for Aotearoa, we don’t think it should be a privilege to have power. Electricity is essential for health and wellbeing but the Electricity Authority, who set the rules for retailers, were not doing enough to protect kiwis who are struggling to pay their bills and the most vulnerable in our communities.
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A company is allowed to disconnect your electricity, then charge a fee for the disconnection and reconnection. These fees can be over $200 and they push people further into debt. Across Aotearoa, roughly 30,000 households use prepay electricity, many because they have struggled to pay bills on standard plans and now have no option. Yet prepay is more expensive, forcing people to spend days without electricity because they can’t afford to top up.
“It’s like the higher prices are punishing people for struggling” - Consumer Advocate
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Minimum standards of care should be a bottom line to protect consumers. The Electricity Authority had allowed companies to ignore the Consumer Care Guidelines without any penalty. The Guidelines were voluntary, despite covering matters such as care for people medically dependent on electricity or households facing disconnection.
Our Campaign Wins:
The consumer care guidelines are becoming mandatory. Contact has ended disconnection fees.
