Jesus challenges us to ‘love our neighbour as ourselves’ and that means speaking up when our neighbours are going without the basic things they need to be warm and well.

Electricity is one of these essentials. Yet in Aotearoa, families are going without electricity because they can’t afford it. Each year electricity companies disconnect around 8,000 households who can’t afford their bills. Even more households using prepay electricity are going without power because they can’t afford to top up, and these numbers are not even collected. Many families pay a ‘premium for being poor’, in the form of disconnection fees, or higher prices for prepay electricity when they cannot access alternatives.

To fix this, Common Grace Aotearoa is leading Everyone Connected, a campaign calling the Electricity Authority to protect families struggling with electricity prices. 

Working with Consumer NZ, Anglican Advocacy, the Salvation Army and others, we are calling on the Electricity Authority to end disconnection fees, ensure prepay prices are fair and introduce mandatory consumer protections.’

It shouldn’t be a privilege to have power. Get involved.