Electricity prices in New Zealand

This is the national average price of a kWh in MBIE's Quarterly Survey of Domestic Electricity Prices on 15 August 2026, for a model household using 8,000 kWh a year (about 22 kWh a day) on each retailer's advertised low-user plan without a fixed-term contract. It includes lines and metering charges, the plan's daily charge spread over that use, prompt-payment discounts and 15% GST, and it is weighted by the number of connections each retailer has in each region. It leaves out discounts and payouts from consumer-owned lines companies and trusts, and households on other plans or with different use pay more or less. Prices vary by town, from 37.2 cents in Wellington to 51.0 cents in Balclutha in the same survey.

Checked against MBIE on November 13, 2026.

New Zealand generates most of its electricity from renewable sources, mainly hydro lakes and rivers, with geothermal stations in the central North Island and a growing amount of wind and solar. Gas and coal plants mostly back up the system in dry years, when hydro lakes run low, and at winter peaks.

Households choose among many competing retailers, which bundle the energy price with charges set by the local lines company, so prices differ from town to town. The Electricity Authority oversees the market, and the Commerce Commission regulates lines companies. Most plans combine a daily fixed charge with a price per unit, and bills include GST. Low-user plans with smaller daily charges are being phased out. Heat pumps are the most common way to heat homes, so household use peaks in winter.