Electricity Prices New Zealand

Average Electricity Costs per kWh in NZ

The size of your power bill isn’t just about how much electricity you use. The region in which you live also plays a big part. Canstar explores the differences in electricity prices around Aotearoa.

KEY POINTS

  • Power prices vary around the country. The national average is 35.67c per kWh, but prices ranging from around 32c to over 45c per kWh.
  • Between a third and half of power price costs are due to transmission charges.
  • Over the next five years, line charges are set to increase substantially for Kiwi power users

We all rely on electricity in our day-to-day lives. And whether you are watching TV, running a heat pump, or putting on a load of washing – you’re adding to your power bill.

The overall cost of your electricity is broken down into two main parts. You pay for the actual electricity you use, plus a fee for the upkeep of the power grid that delivers that juice into your home.

Nationally, the average power consumer (four-person family) using 22kWh per day on the cheapest low-user tariff available without a fixed-term contract, pays around 35.67c per kWh.

However, depending on where you live in the country, the price can vary between as low as 31.93c per kWh, in Christchurch, to 45.42c per kWh in Kerikeri and 45.45c in Westport.

Of course, you can’t do much about where you live, apart from move. So keeping on top of your usage charges is essential if you want to reduce your power bill. That’s why it’s important to do your research to find a good deal on the power you use.

But what exactly does a good rate look like in your area? In this article, we break down the average electricity costs by kWh and line fees region to region, and provide tips on how to find a great deal.


How Much Are You Paying For Power? Average Electricity Costs per kWh in NZ. In this article we cover:


Finding the best kWh price for power?

The fact that you’re reading this means that you’re already on the right track to finding a great deal on power. But when comparing power companies, it’s important to consider the broader picture – don’t become too focused on finding a deal with a big prompt payment discount or special perk. Be sure to balance all the rates, discounts, fees and contract periods when making a decision, as well as more personal factors, such as customer service and support.

To help you find the best value electricity retailer, Canstar Blue rates NZ power companies for customer satisfaction and value for money, see the table below for some of the results, or you can click on the button below for the full results of our survey.

Canstar Blue’s latest review of NZ power companies compares them on customer satisfaction. The table below is an abridged version of our full results, available here.


See Our Ratings Methodology

Compare electricity providers for free with Canstar Blue!


Power prices per kWh

The per kWh price refers to the cost of the power you use. The table below shows the average regional rates for electricity across the motu.

Location Price per kWh
Westport          27.74c
Greymouth          27.60c
Tauranga          27.40c
Kerikeri          25.99c
Nelson          25.87c
Taupo          25.81c
Balclutha          25.59c
Rotorua          25.47c
Blenhiem          25.33c
Gisborne          24.72c
Richmond          24.42c
Thames          24.32c
Whangarei          24.23c
Ashburton          23.97c
Cambridge          23.86c
Dunedin          23.62c
Napier          23.62c
Pukekohe          23.45c
Taumaranui          23.30c
Otorohanga          23.30c
Invercargill          23.21c
Oamaru          23.15c
Whakatane          23.14c
Waipukurau          22.96c
New Zealand          22.95c
Winton          22.90c
Rangiora          22.61c
Dannevirke          22.59c
Whanganui          22.40c
Wellington City          22.36c
Queenstown          22.35c
Cromwell          22.34c
Hamilton          22.33c
Auckland North Shore          22.29c
Auckland Central          22.25c
Kaiapoi          22.23c
Hawera          22.10c
Masterton          22.09c
Timaru          21.87c
New Plymouth          21.61c
Paraparaumu          21.38c
Palmerston North          21.37c
Christchurch          21.35c

Data: www.mbie.govt.nz Quarterly Survey of Domestic Electricity Prices to February 15, 2025.

As you can see, the rate you pay for electricity varies considerably depending on your region. While you might not think a few cents makes much difference, the costs add up over a year – especially for households using plenty of electricity.

Lines vs energy component

While there’s quite a variance in the cost of the electricity we consume, from 21.35c to 27.74c around the country, there’s an even bigger disparity in the prices we pay for the line component of our power bills.

In Cromwell 20.51c per kWh goes towards line component costs, whereas consumers in Nelson pay only 8.49c. That’s quite a difference.

Line charges are the cost of the infrastructure required to get electricity from the power station to your home. You can see the average costs below:

Location Average line fee per kHh
Cromwell 20.51c
Waipukurau 20.29c
Kerikeri 19.43c
Balclutha 18.91c
Dannevirke 17.86c
Westport 17.71c
Hawera 17.39c
Masterton 17.39c
Taumaranui 17.19c
Otorohanga 17.19c
Greymouth 16.80c
Rangiora 16.78c
Kaiapoi 16.78c
Blenhiem 16.52c
Pukekohe 16.49c
Winton 16.45c
Paraparaumu 16.22c
Gisborne 15.93c
Queenstown 14.54c
Whangarei 14.48c
Timaru 14.40c
Oamaru 14.39c
Palmerston North 13.94c
New Plymouth 13.94c
Whanganui 13.94c
Thames 13.14c
Whakatane 13.02c
New Zealand 12.72c
Cambridge 12.25c
Auckland North Shore 11.95c
Dunedin 11.92c
Napier 11.89c
Auckland Central 11.88c
Hamilton 11.64c
Tauranga 11.47c
Rotorua 10.97c
Taupo 10.97c
Christchurch 10.59c
Richmond 10.27c
Invercargill 10.04c
Wellington City 9.69c
Ashburton 8.70c
Nelson 8.49c

Data: www.mbie.govt.nz Quarterly Survey of Domestic Electricity Prices to February 15, 2025.

Why is there such a big difference in line component costs?

The cost of delivering power to your home differs depending on where you live, due to the following reasons:

  • Population density – costs are split across consumers. The more consumers to bear the line costs, the lower they will be.
  • Distance from power station – how far the power needs to travel (from the nearest power station) dictates the level of infrastructure needed, and the cost of maintaining that infrastructure.
  • Terrain – do the power lines need to traverse mountains or forest, or through flat urban areas?
  • Commercial/industrial users – commercial and industrial businesses consume a lot of energy and are typically supported with significant infrastructure. A large presence/absence of them in your region can impact lines costs.
  • Competition – there are over 30 lines companies in New Zealand that are in charge of the infrastructure needed to deliver power to your home. But some regions are only serviced by one. These companies face no competition or incentives to keep their prices low.

Total costs

When you combine the two sets of prices listed above – the line charges and energy costs – you get an overall picture of electricity costs around the country. And, as you can see, there’s a big difference between living in Christchurch and places such as Westport and Kerikeri, where power is over 13c more expensive per kWh.

And unfortunately, power prices are likely to rise considerably over the next five years. For more on the price rises see below.

Location         Total retail cost per kWh
Westport          45.45c
Kerikeri          45.42c
Balclutha          44.50c
Greymouth          44.41c
Waipukurau          43.25c
Cromwell          42.85c
Blenhiem          41.85c
Gisborne          40.65c
Taumaranui          40.49c
Otorohanga          40.49c
Dannevirke          40.45c
Pukekohe          39.94c
Hawera          39.49c
Masterton          39.48c
Rangiora          39.39c
Winton          39.35c
Kaiapoi          39.01c
Tauranga          38.87c
Whangarei          38.70c
Paraparaumu          37.60c
Oamaru          37.54c
Thames          37.46c
Queenstown          36.89c
Taupo          36.78c
Rotorua          36.44c
Whanganui          36.34c
Timaru          36.27c
Whakatane          36.16c
Cambridge          36.11c
New Zealand          35.67c
New Plymouth          35.55c
Dunedin          35.54c
Napier          35.51c
Palmerston North          35.31c
Richmond          34.69c
Nelson          34.35c
Auckland North Shore          34.23c
Auckland Central          34.13c
Hamilton          33.97c
Invercargill          33.24c
Ashburton          32.67c
Wellington City          32.05c
Christchurch          31.93c

Data: www.mbie.govt.nz Quarterly Survey of Domestic Electricity Prices to February 15, 2025.

Rising power bills

Over the next five years all Kiwi households will face higher power costs, for two main reasons:

  • A rise in transmission costs
  • The scrapping of the low-user electricity tariff

Rise in transmission costs

Transmission and line costs are regulated by the Commerce Commission. And due to inflation and rising levels of investment in the power network, the lines companies have been given permission to raise their prices over the next five years.

As we show above, lines charges vary depending on where you live, but over the next year, the average monthly increases power customers can expect range from $11.50 to $28.75 per month.

Here’s a breakdown of the price increases you can expect from your local lines company:

Average price increases per month, from April 2025 – April 2026
$11.50 $17.25 $23 $28.75
Electricity Invercargill
Nelson Electricity
Orion NZ
Unison Networks
Vector Lines
Wellington Electricity
EA Networks
Firstlight Network
Horizon Energy
Network Tasman
Powerco
OtagoNet Alpine Energy
The Lines Company
Top Energy

And the price hikes are not just limited to the first year of the five-year review period. Over the next four years, the Commerce Commission has approved further additional annual price hikes of, on average, between $5.75 and $17.25 per month:

Average price increases per month, from April 2026 – April 2030
$5.75 $11.50 $17.25
Alpine Energy
Electricity Invercargill
Horizon Energy
Nelson Electricity
Network Tasmania
Power Co
The Lines Company
Vector Lines
Wellington Electricity
EA Networks
OtagoNet
Orion NZ
Unison Networks
Firstlight Network
Top Energy

Scrapping of the low-user electricity tariff

Power bills for many people are also increasing due to the scrapping of the low-user electricity tariff, which you can read about in more detail here.

The five-year phase-out is designed to make the electricity market fairer. But it means that low-user power consumers are facing annual price hikes due to higher daily charges: roughly an extra 0.35c per day, which works out to $126 per year.

The annual price rises kick in each April 1, and this year marks the fourth year of the phase-out, so there’s still one more round of price hikes to go, in 2026.

Understanding what you pay

Discovering exactly how much you’re paying for your electricity, shouldn’t be tricky. Your daily fixed charge rate and your total variable usage charge should be clearly shown on your bill. Along with a small Electricity Authority levy, which goes towards running the government agency.

But it certainly pays to do your research, compare energy companies and shop around.

To find the rates of an electricity retailer, visit its website and look for a pricing section. Most retailers require you to insert an address, though some just need to know your general area to give you an idea of your rates.

Be conscious of a few traps, so ask yourself some of the following questions when comparing rates:

  • Do these prices include GST?
  • How frequently do rates change?
  • What type of tariff is this?
  • Does this retailer offer discounts?
  • Are there additional fees?
  • Does this contract lock me in?
  • Are there any additional perks?

About the author of this page

Bruce Pitchers is Canstar NZ’s Content Manager. An experienced finance reporter, he has three decades’ experience as a journalist and has worked for major media companies in Australia, the UK and NZ, including ACP, Are Media, Bauer Media Group, Fairfax, Pacific Magazines, News Corp and TVNZ. As a freelancer, he has worked for The Australian Financial Review, the NZ Financial Markets Authority and major banks and investment companies on both sides of the Tasman.
In his role at Canstar, he has been a regular commentator in the NZ media, including on the DrivenStuff and One Roof websites, the NZ HeraldRadio NZ, and Newstalk ZB.
Away from Canstar, Bruce creates puzzles for magazines and newspapers, including Woman’s Day and New Idea. He is also the co-author of the murder-mystery book 5 Minute Murder.

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