Official Information Act Request & Public Notice

1. Official Information Act Request

To: The Treasury, Electricity Authority, Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment

This request is made pursuant to the Official Information Act 1982.

This request concerns the relationship between electricity pricing, dividend payments to the Crown, and the Crown’s dual role as both shareholder and regulator.

Scope of Request:

A. Dividend Policy and Expectations
All documents, briefings, Cabinet papers, or advice relating to expected or target dividend payments from Genesis Energy, Mercury, and Meridian Energy, including any Crown expectations or directives.

B. Pricing vs Dividend Trade-offs
All analysis or modelling considering whether electricity pricing levels are influenced by dividend expectations or Crown revenue considerations, including whether reducing dividends would lower electricity prices.

C. Conflict of Interest Assessments
All documents assessing the Crown’s dual role as shareholder and regulator, including any risks or mitigation strategies identified.

D. Consumer Impact and Energy Hardship
All reports or analysis on electricity affordability, household impact, and energy hardship.

E. Dividend Reinvestment
All documents relating to dividend reinvestment schemes and their rationale.

Please provide the information in electronic format. If any part is refused, specify the statutory grounds and provide partial information where available.

Please contact promptly if refinement is required.

2. Public Notice

PUBLIC NOTICE – ELECTRICITY PRICING AND PUBLIC ASSETS

Recent publicly released information shows that the Crown has received hundreds of millions of dollars annually in dividends from electricity generators, while consumers continue to face high electricity prices.

This raises a fundamental question as to whether electricity is being operated as an essential public service, or as a mechanism for ongoing Crown revenue extraction.

The Crown occupies multiple roles within this system, including shareholder, policy-maker, and regulator. This combination requires a high level of transparency and accountability.

A formal request has been made under the Official Information Act 1982 seeking disclosure of how dividend expectations are set, whether pricing decisions are influenced by revenue considerations, and what assessment has been made of affordability and hardship.

This notice is issued in the public interest. New Zealanders are entitled to understand how essential services are priced, who benefits, and whether the system is operating fairly.