Otago power bill increases reduced as Commerce Commission caps Aurora's upgrade plans
Aurora Energy will be forced to reduce its proposed electricity lines upgrade by more than $85 million under a Commerce Commission draft decision.
The lines company is responsible for delivering electricity to 88,000 homes and businesses in Dunedin, Central Otago and Queenstown Lakes.
Aurora had proposed increasing the average monthly power bill in Dunedin by $32.70, Central Otago by $47.30, and Queenstown by $39.80 by 2024.
Under the Commerce Commission’s draft decision, the charges would be reduced to $22.20 for Dunedin, $31.50 for Central Otago and $22.70 for Queenstown.
The commission will hold public meetings on the draft decision in Alexandra, Cromwell, Wānaka, Queenstown and Dunedin between November 23 and December 1.
Poll: If we want to reduce speeding, what do you think actually changes driver behaviour? 🛻🚨🚓
In the Post's article on speeding penalties, the question is asked whether speeding fines are truly about road safety, or are they just a way to boost revenue for the Crown?
What do you think? Should speeding motorists receive speeding fines or demerit points?
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38.2% The sting of a fine (Money talks!)
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61.8% The threat of demerit points (Nobody wants to lose their license!)
Some Choice News!
DOC is rolling out a new tool to help figure out what to tackle first when it comes to protecting our threatened species and the things putting them at risk.
Why does this matter? As Nikki Macdonald from The Post points out, we’re a country with around 4,400 threatened species. With limited time and funding, conservation has always meant making tough calls about what gets attention first.
For the first time, DOC has put real numbers around what it would take to do everything needed to properly safeguard our unique natural environment. The new BioInvest tool shows the scale of the challenge: 310,177 actions across 28,007 sites.
Now that we can see the full picture, it brings the big question into focus: how much do we, as Kiwis, truly value protecting nature — and what are we prepared to invest to make it happen?
We hope this brings a smile!
Share your favourite main crop potato recipe and win a copy of our mag!
Love potatoes? We will give away free copies of the May 2026 issue to readers whose potato recipes are used in our magazine. To be in the running, make sure you email your family's favourite way to enjoy potatoes: mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, by March 1, 2026.
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