Buller spared 427% electricity jolt — for now
By local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
A stay on a 427% increase in electricity transmission charges for over 4800 Buller consumers was welcomed today by the mayor.
Early this month Buller Electricity Ltd, owned by the Buller Electricity Power Trust, mounted a legal challenge against national grid operator Transpower, which proposed increasing transmission charges by 427%.
The increase was due to take effect from April 1.
Today, Buller Electricity announced that following court action an interim arrangement had been reached "pausing any increases".
This would be until the judicial review application was resolved, it said.
Buller mayor Jamie Cleine said given Westport's relative isolation and low population the stay was what might be hoped for in the circumstances.
"Buller is at the end of a pretty long line in terms of supply. Those charges passed on by the lines companies have a pretty powerful impact," Cleine said.
This was against a background of "an uncompetitive" market, natural disaster, and the loss of the district's single biggest electricity customer, Holcim Cement, which closed in 2016.
Cleine said he understood that loss to Transpower was to have been passed on to the rest of Buller power consumers, at a time when the district was significantly challenged after the flood recovery.
"That was my understanding, they effectively had to distribute that share of the line cost to all of the other connections on the network - quite unhelpful.
"It's a pity it has to go to court action before that can be brought to the table -- a good outcome before it is eventually resolved."
Buller Electricity director Shannon Hollis said today the interim arrangement was the first hurdle in a process.
"For us it's the very first step in the process; it's what we were hoping to achieve."
The company was awaiting a formal hearing date in May.
Under the interim arrangement, Buller Electricity will be reducing the transmission price increases previously notified to energy retailers, such as Genesis, Pulse Energy and Contact Energy.
"We recognise this is not an ideal situation for [energy] retailers, some of whom may have already communicated the increased prices to their customers," Hollis said.
However, the overriding concern for Buller Electricity was avoiding "significant hardship" for local residents and businesses, caused by the massive transmission charge signalled by Transpower.
The effect of the interim agreement was to provide "much needed relief" for local consumers for the time being, until a court determination.
One of the terms of the interim agreement was that the parties would seek a fixture as soon as possible so the legality of Transpower's proposed reclassification of lines assets could be determined by the courts without delay.
The increase notified by Transpower in December largely reflected a change to the way it classified national grid assets in Buller.
Hollis said the impact was "particularly harsh" given the small population of about 4850 end-consumers.
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A reminder this hunting season
As thousands of hunters are making their plans for autumn – the Roar – recreational firearms groups are urging hunters to always be 100% sure of their targets.
Te Tari Pureke - Firearms Safety Authority NZ, which chairs the Recreational Firearms Users Group, has begun a public information campaign reminding hunters everywhere of Rule #4 of the Firearms Safety Code: to identify their target beyond all doubt.
Director Communities and Corporate, Mike McIlraith, says there is an estimated 50,000-60,000 New Zealanders involved in big game animal hunting each year, and the Roar is the key event for many hunters each year.
“The Roar is a fantastic time of year for hunters to get out into the hills after a trophy animal but hunting safely and making sure everyone gets home in one piece, still must be the most important goal of every trip,” says Mike McIlraith.
“The consequences of not fully identifying your target beyond all doubt can be catastrophic. Our message to hunters is a really simple one: If you are not sure, then don’t shoot.”
Mike McIlraith says while hunting fatalities are thankfully rare, research has shown that misidentification of the target is the largest firearms related risk to New Zealand deer hunters, and 80% of the time this involves members of the same hunting group.
The Authority says hunters should not feel pressured to take a shot: “Instead, hunters should take the time to analyse their target, wait and see if it is a hind or stag, how old is the animal, how many points does its antlers have? Identifying your target means never firing at sound, shape, colour or movement alone.”
Mike McIlraith says good hunters will slow down, and run through some simple mental checks:
- Can I see the whole animal, or could this be another hunter?
- Where are my hunting companions – could this be them or someone else?
- How much of the animal can you see, if it is a hind or stag, how old is the animal, how - many points does its antlers have?
“Taking a little extra time to identify your target and check the firing zone is the key to safer hunting. No meat or no trophy is better than no mate,” he says.
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