Poll: Who would you vote for as New Zealander of the year?
The New Zealander of the the Year finalists are Dr Siouxsie Wiles, Farid Ahmed and Ranjna Patel.
The awards honour extraordinary Kiwis who inspire, give hope and lead.
Wiles is a microbiologist and science communicator from Auckland.
When Covid-19 first hit New Zealand, Dr Siouxsie Wiles rose to the challenge, said Miriama Kamo, Te Koruru – patron of the awards.
"... she's stood tall to speak to hundreds of millions globally," Kamo said.
"Her work helped us all to see beyond the fear and complexity of the pandemic, to understand not only what was happening, but also how we could, and can continue to, collectively respond."
Ahmed is the Muslim community leader who became an icon of forgiveness following the March 15 terror attacks in Christchurch.
After losing his wife in the attacks, Ahmed demonstratred how faith and love could
provide a pathway to navigate deep grief.
Awarded an international peace prize for his ongoing work, he published Husna's Story in March last year, donating all royalties to St John Ambulance.
The third finalist, Ranjna Patel, is the Tamaki Health director and a domestic violence social entrepreneur.
When Patel was asked to offer guidance around family violence in in the south Asian community, she identified a crucial missing step in family violence intervention – engaging offenders in their own rehabilitation.
In 2014, she established the first Gandhi Nivas home for perpetrators in Otahuhu, providing innovative early intervention and prevention services for Kiwi men.
A study undertaken by Massey University looked at men five years before entering Gandhi Nivas and after, and found 60% of men did not re-offend.
The annual Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year Awards are in their 12th year.
The six winners will be announced in Auckland on March 31.
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65.7% Dr Siouxsie Wiles
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17.6% Ranjna Patel
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16.7% Farid Ahmed
Cost of living: How to get $110 off your electricity bill through Power Credits Scheme
Some Kiwis can expect their power bill to rise this month for the third year in a row as the low-user charge is phased out – but there's a payment available for people who are struggling.
It's the third year in a row that low-power users are facing increasing fixed costs as the low-power users scheme is phased out.
To help the industry set up the $5 million Power Credits Scheme which means eligible households can access credit during the transition.
The phase out which began in 2022 will see fixed costs for low users rise every april for five years.
The scheme means households who are supplied by Contact, Meridian, Mercury, Genesis, Nova, Wise, Globug, Powershop, Frank or Toast Electric can access a $110 payment if they’re in hardship. So far $1.4 million has been paid out.
The scheme is run by the Electricity Retailers’ Association of New Zealand. Chief executive Bridget Abernethy told Consumer NZ households showing signs of energy hardship can get the payment. But Abernethy said each power company will have its own criteria for what energy hardship looks like.
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) said removing the "low Fixed Charge Tariff regulations is essential for creating a fairer playing field for all New Zealand households".
However, the MBIE website acknowledged the phase-out could be challenging for some households.
"While all households are expected to benefit in the long term from the regulations being removed, some households may face higher power bills," the website said.
The credit can help households adjust, it added.
The decision to remove the low user charge was made by the then Labour Government in 2021 who called it "poorly targeted".
Then Energy Minister Megan Woods said it would mean three in five households could benefit from lower power bills.
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