Consumer Advocacy Council – Member

On behalf of the Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, the Ministry is seeking candidates who wish to be considered for appointment as member of the Consumer Advocacy Council.

About the Board

The Consumer Advocacy Council (the Council) is being established in response to the Electricity Price Review finding that residential households and small businesses struggle to make their voices heard and exert influence over decisions affecting them in the electricity sector. The purpose of the Council is to be the trusted, credible, authoritative advocate for small electricity consumers, operating independently of industry participants, regulators and Government. It will advocate on behalf of residential and small business electricity consumers by providing evidence-based advocacy on policy and regulatory consultations, and in decision-making processes.

Membership of the Council

The Council comprises of up to six members appointed by the Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs for a term of up to three years.

The Council’s functions

The Council will:

• Establish its own work programme in accordance with its Terms of Reference.
• Work with the Electricity Authority, Commerce Commission, government agencies and industry participants on any electricity matters that are of importance to households and small business consumers.
• Work with other consumer groups, particularly those advocating on behalf of small businesses and residential consumers, including vulnerable electricity consumers, Māori, Pasifika, elderly and youth cohorts.
• Commission specialist research and analysis to support its activities (such as making formal submissions on behalf of consumers, hosting or participating in workshops, and regularly meeting regulators, other agencies and industry participants).
• Complement, rather than replace, consumer representation on existing advisory groups and consumer panels.

Board membership

Collective and individual duties

The Act sets out the provisions for the governance, reporting and accountability arrangements of the Council.

The collective duties of members are to ensure that the Council acts consistently with its objectives, functions, Statement of Performance Expectations and Output Agreements and that the Board’s functions are performed efficiently, effectively and in a manner consistent with the spirit of service to the public, and in a financially responsible manner.

The individual duties of members are:

• Attend meetings, unless extenuating circumstances provide otherwise.
• Prepare adequately prior to each meeting by reading all papers provided to them.
• Ensure that matters of significance are brought to the attention of the Council.
• Bring to the Council perspectives based on their experiences and interests.
• Take a whole system view to the policy advocacy of consumers in the electricity market and not regard themselves as representatives or advocates for particular sectors or interests.
• Base their advice on understanding of broader issues in society and the economy.
• Work with the Secretariat to write reports and submissions or material that progress the work programme and the Council’s role and functions, and comment on reports or submissions or other material from market participants, regulators and Government.

Time commitment and remuneration

Members are expected to spend 5 days per month (although there is a degree of flexibility) at Council meetings throughout New Zealand, including travel and preparation time. Fees and allowances determined by the Minister are in accordance with the Cabinet fees framework, currently the daily fees are set between $205-$395. Reasonable travel and accommodation expenses are also paid.

Person specifications

Specific skills required

Two candidates are sought, preferably with the below attributes:

• Knowledge of or a connection to Te Ao Māori.

OR

• Knowledge of or a connection to the Pasifika community.

Additional skills, experience and attributes required

Ideally candidates will have one or more of the following:

• Knowledge of or a willingness to learn about the complexities of the energy sector.
• Understanding or knowledge of how and why consumers (households and small businesses) experience hardship, such as electricity.
• Day-to-day experience working with and/or advocating for vulnerable consumer groups including Māori, Pasifika, elderly and young people.
• An ability to read or understand technical information.
• Knowledge, experience and/or the ability to effectively advocate on behalf of consumers, in front of regulators, government agencies, electricity industry participants, and potentially the media and public.
• Day-to day working with sustainable energy issues (potentially an academic).
• Small and medium business experience and/or expertise.
• Strong leadership and communication skills.

All members will have views of the problems that need to be addressed and suggestions about how to solve those problems.

Experience in the following areas would also be useful:

• Ability to develop and identify key work programme priorities for the Council to progress.
• Experience of conducting and commissioning specialist research to support advocacy and advice.
• Governance experience.

Disclosure of interest

Before a person is appointed as a member of the Council, they must disclose, in an Expression of Interest form, the nature and extent (including monetary value, if quantifiable) of all interests that the person has at that time, or is likely to have, in matters relating to the Council.

This enables the responsible Minister to know the relevant interest and any conflict that a person may have in relation to appointment. The information is used to assess whether a candidate would be able to contribute effectively to the Council’s affairs, and where conflicts are identified, to ensure that these can be managed appropriately.  

Additional information

For enquiries about the position, please email: board.appointments@mbie.govt.nz

To learn more about the Consumer Advocacy Council and their activities, please visit https://www.cac.org.nz/(external link)