Latest insights on energy hardship in New Zealand

Energy hardship is when individuals, households and whānau are not able to obtain and afford adequate energy services to support their wellbeing in their home or kāinga. MBIE is releasing the second iteration of their report on energy hardship in Aotearoa, focusing on 5 measures that can be used to understand the level of hardship in the country and across different demographic groups. Examples of these measures include Kiwis being unable to afford to keep their homes adequately warm or putting up with feeling cold a lot to keep their costs down.

This year’s report shows a general improvement across the 5 measures from 2019 to 2024, with particular improvement in the number of households reporting a major problem with heating or damp and mould, and fewer households putting up with feeling cold a lot to save money. The data tells us there is specific improvement in these areas for Pacific and Māori households.

Other key insights include that for the year ended June 2024, renters and low-income families are more likely to experience measures of energy hardship, with renters being 3 to 4 times more likely to experience energy hardship than owner-occupiers.

The valuable data and insights in the report will help government track levels of hardship over time and design policies and programmes that help kiwi households struggling with their energy bills.

MBIE’s reporting on energy hardship is part of a wider landscape of research and measures focused on various aspects of energy hardship affecting New Zealanders, including the Electricity Authority’s Retail Data Monitoring programme, Stats NZ reporting and publications, and surveys from a number of research institutions and consumer advocates.

You can read the latest report here.

Report on energy hardship measures

More information on energy hardship in New Zealand.

Defining energy hardship