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Rising power prices have are placing Kiwi households under pressure, with 18 per cent reporting a struggle to pay bills over the past year.
Consumer NZ's most recent survey found 16 per cent of people had missed paying their power bill by the due date, 12 per cent had overdue fees as a result and one in ten said they'd been refused service by a power company because of missed payments.
There's no requirement for retailers to supply power, and in 2020 there were more than 12,500 disconnections for non-payment of bills.
Nau Mai Rā is the country's first Māori power retailer, and it's petitioning the government to ensure electricity generators provide fair and affordable wholesale pricing to retailers representing vulnerable communities.
It wants to see a retailer of last resort nominated, that won't turn anyone away. Kathryn talks to co-founder Ezra Hirawani and a customer, Jamie, who was turned away by multiple other providers due to her credit history.