Compare natural gas suppliers in New Zealand at Canstar Blue. Frank Energy, Nova Energy, Mercury, Genesis Energy and Contact Energy were compared on Overall Satisfaction, Bill and Cost Clarity, Customer Service, Tools & Advice and Value for Money.
Please note that Frank Energy no longer accepts new natural gas customers.
See our Ratings Methodology.
Frank Energy is, frankly, the best natural gas provider, rated No.1 by Kiwi consumers.
Our review compares natural gas suppliers on customer satisfaction, so you can discover what other Kiwis think about our natural gas retailers before you make your own choice. Think of it like asking hundreds of your friends, family and colleagues which natural gas suppliers they think deliver the best value and service!
Canstar Blue surveyed 549 Kiwis who have a mains gas account for their feedback on the supplier they use.
Respondents rate their satisfaction with their natural gas suppliers from zero to ten, where zero is extremely dissatisfied and ten is extremely satisfied. Brand satisfaction was rated by respondents on the following criteria:
The winning natural gas supplier is the one that receives the highest Overall Satisfaction rating once all the scores from the Overall Satisfaction criteria are combined and averaged.
Brands must have received at least 30 responses to be included, so not all brands available in the market have been compared in this survey. The brands rated in this survey are listed below in order of best overall satisfaction.
Find more information on our Most Satisfied Customer methodology.
A former winner of Canstar Blue’s Natural Gas Award, in 2021, this year Frank Energy again takes out our title as the best-rated natural gas provider with a great set of award ratings. Sitting atop our awards table, Frank Energy earns a remarkable set of 5-Star ratings across all measures of customer satisfaction, including Overall Satisfaction, Value for Money and Customer Service. It’s notable that Frank Energy is the only natural gas provider in this year’s survey to achieve 5-Star ratings.
Please note that Frank Energy no longer accepts new natural gas customers.
Originally established in 1999 as Energy Online, the company was purchased by Genesis Energy in 2002 and rebranded as Frank Energy in 2021.
Frank Energy offers no-contract electricity and gas plans, along with LPG bottled gas. The power company focuses on providing not only smart apps and online services, but great customer service, too. For more details, check out Frank’s website.
Nova almost achieves a clean sweep of 4-Star results across every ratings category in our Natural Gas Award. However, despite earning great feedback from its customers in four out of five categories, it’s somewhat let down by its 2-Star rating for Tools & Advice. However, despite this, Nova still rates high enough for Overall Satisfaction to place second on our table.
Nova Energy is a New Zealand owned and operated energy retailer, servicing homes and businesses across the country. Nova Energy is part of the Todd Corporation, which also operates its own geothermal and natural gas generators.
Rounding out our top-three best-rated natural gas providers, Mercury earns a strong 4-Star rating for Overall Satisfaction from its customers. It backs this up with solid 3-Star ratings across the other categories rated by consumers for our award. It’s worth noting that while not a top score, 3 Stars is by no means a measure of dissatisfaction. Rather it shows that Mercury’s customers are happy with the levels of Value for Money and Customer Service they receive.
Mercury is one of the nation’s highest-profile power companies, and provides a range of residential and business services across New Zealand.
The Mercury brand was launched in 2016, with the merger of Mighty River Power and Mercury Energy. Mercury is listed on the NZ and Australian stock exchanges. As with Genesis, the NZ government is a 51% stakeholder.
A two-time winner of Canstar Blue’s Natural Gas Award in 2022-23, this year Genesis loses its grip on the top of our awards table, earning a 3-Star rating for Overall Satisfaction. Across the other categories, it earns 3 Stars for Value for Money and Bill & Cost Clarity and 4-Star ratings for Tools & Advice and Customer Service.
Genesis is a publicly listed company that is 51% owned by the NZ government. Genesis provides electricity, natural gas and bottled gas (LPG) to New Zealand households and businesses, and also generates electricity.
Rounding out our mains gas awards table, Contact earns a consistent set of 3-Star ratings across all categories. As we mention above, 3 Stars is not a poor showing, rather Contact’s customers are satisfied with the levels of service and value they receive.
Energy generator and retailer Contact Energy was founded in 1996 and provides a range of services for residential and business customers across New Zealand, including gas and power supplies.
It’s understandable that cost is at the forefront of most households’ minds when it comes to their gas supply, and nearly half (45%) of the respondents to this year’s award survey cite Value for Money as their biggest concern when rating their choice of gas supplier.
However, what is surprising is the number of people who cite Bill and Cost Clarity over Customer Service as a main driver of their satisfaction with their gas company: 23% compared to just 16% – which underlines the importance of clear information in the billing process.
Here’s the full rundown of what the consumers in our survey say are the main things they consider when rating their gas suppliers:
While bottled and natural gas perform the same tasks – both are used for heating and cooking in the home – there are differences between the two:
Natural gas is often referred to as mains gas or piped gas. It is primarily methane, unlike bottled gas, which is usually butane or propane.
There are over 2500kms of high-pressure supply pipelines across New Zealand’s North Island.
This mains gas network provides a natural gas supply to over 60,000 households. The gas is supplied via a meter, and customers pay a bill for their usage, in the same way as they are charged for water and electricity.
Bottled gas is either butane or propane gas that has been compressed into a liquid form and bottled. When release from its pressurised container, the liquid reverts to a gas, which can then be burned to fuel heating or cooking in the home.
Because the mains gas network is limited to the North Island, and new mains gas connections are prohibitively expensive, bottled gas is the only option for many households if they want a gas supply.
This report was written by Canstar’s Editor, Bruce Pitchers. Bruce has three decades’ experience as a journalist and has worked for major media companies in the UK and Australasia, including ACP, Bauer Media Group, Fairfax, Pacific Magazines, News Corp and TVNZ. Prior to Canstar, he worked as a freelancer, including for The Australian Financial Review, the NZ Financial Markets Authority, and for real estate companies on both sides of the Tasman.
Understand how to check safety of gas appliances: 29%
Use gas because it’s cheaper: 29%
Have compared gas suppliers online: 26%
Canstar Blue surveyed 5127 New Zealand consumers across a range of categories to measure and track customer satisfaction, via ISO 26362 accredited research panels managed by Qualtrics. The outcomes reported are the results from respondents who have a natural gas account. In this case, 549 New Zealanders. Brands must have received at least 30 responses to be included. Results are comparative and it should be noted that brands receiving three stars have still achieved a satisfaction measure of at least six out of 10. Not all brands available in the market have been compared in this survey. The ratings table is first sorted by star ratings and then by mean overall satisfaction. A rated brand may receive a ‘N/A’ (Not Applicable) rating if it does not receive the minimum number of responses for that criterion.
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