Social media will put community into the Trust

It is a challenge for an independent candidate to take part in the Auckland Energy Consumer Trust election for 5 new  trustees. The vote is held every three years.  Over 300,000 beneficiaries of the Trust can vote, and the Trust area is huge, (covering all of Auckland City, Manukau City, parts of Papakura and Waiheke Island).

Traditional methods of electioneering are impractical and expensive. Sending a flyer to every household would cost tens of thousands of dollars, and it would be mission impossible to try to face contact with all voters.  It gives a taste of what it will be like for the mayoral candidates campaigning in the Super City elections next year, as this will cover an even bigger area.

Luckily the internet and social media are powerful and inexpensive tools that give an independent candidate like me a chance in the election. They also  put community into the Trust.

I am learning that one long- standing method of campaigning – via billboards – is worthwhile, as Aucklanders spend a lot of time in their cars. From the feedback my small but stylish billboards, which started going up over the weekend, are being noticed. I just hope the saboteurs who have taken one out in a more affluent part of Auckland are not planning on striking again.  It puts extra pressure on an already hard working and loyal election team who are spending many hours out in the rain to give me a chance with the big teams.

Feel free to text me if you have a good site for one of my billboards!

High-class hookers benefit from AECT dividend spend up

One of the first people to post on the AECT website which asks “How will you spend your dividend?” shared his desire to spend it on a high-class prostitute.  The fact the post was still there after a week may be clever on AECT’s part because it really shows, like the ad campaign claims, that beneficiaries of the trust have the power to spend their dividend exactly as they wish (either that or the moderator of the post is snoozing on the job) . 
 
The majority of posts are heartfelt, touching stories giving genuine thanks to the AECT for the payment. However I can’t help read the stories – many from people who are putting the money into unpaid bills – and think of the woman I met at the Pakuranga Community Network Meeting last week. She was really chuffed about receiving the $320 of “free” money and was making plans to spend it on her family. When I asked her about her energy bills she confessed that she lived in a cold house but didn’t put the heater on all winter because she couldn’t afford the cost. This is an example of energy poverty that it is estimated effects a quarter of Kiwi households. 
 
The $320 dividend comes from AECT’s return on its 75.1% shareholding in Vector which includes a range of commercial businesses, not just the electricity lines business.  The lines charge that consumers pay Vector is only one component of a household’s electricity bill so it is not  just Vector’s pricing that is causing energy poverty. However Vector is part of the electricity industry that prices using variable charging (based on kilowatt hours) that does not encourage efficiencies and keeps prices inflated.  For example, it would be far more sustainable for electricity charges to be based on capacity (also called fixed charging) and for smart meters to be introduced into every home with a range of tariff options to encourage efficient energy use.
 
As a trustee I support the community receiving a dividend from a community energy asset but what I would also like to see is Vector and the AECT being part of the solution to ensure the dividend is not being spent on unaffordable power bills.

How will you spend your AECT dividend?

The Auckland Energy Consumer Trust paid out $320 on 18 September to electricity consumers (income beneficiaries of the trust) in Auckland City (including Waiheke Island), Manukau City and the northern parts of Papakura. 
 
AECT are currently undertaking a campaign promoting how great it is to get the dividend and asking people to share their stories as to how they intend to spend the money. It is nice to think of the dividend as a windfall that can be put to a special purchase.
 
But of course there is no such thing as $320 of “free” money as it partly came from the profits Vector makes from charging the very people who receive the dividend – Vector’s customers who pay electricity line charges. It is fair to ask:  if this money is being returned to us, are we not currently being overcharged for electricity?  Many households will have paid their highest energy bills ever over a cold winter – the dividend could be used to benefit the community through lower power bills when it really matters.
 
As a trustee I will also be asking whether the large dividend Vector has paid the Trust means Vector is spending enough to give customers what they really want – a safe, reliable and economical service. All very well for households to have an extra $320 this month but not if this has to be spent on candles and torches when the lights go out!
 
Tell me your stories – is the power really in your hands?

Media Release

Transition Town Candidate to contest AECT election

Thursday 17 September 2009

Community candidate challenges Vector’s sustainability path

A corporate lawyer with experience working for regulated industries will stand as an independent candidate in this year’s election for trustees to the Auckland Energy Consumer Trust.

Pippa Coom, who has worked for Vector Limited, which is majority owned by the Trust, is also the first member of the Transition Town movement to stand for public office.

“I have the skills and experience to be an effective trustee. As the only independent community candidate I am committed to maintaining the Auckland electricity assets of Vector in community ownership and ensuring that Vector is in the best position to respond to the current environmental challenges ” says  Ms Coom.

Pippa Coom launched her campaign for election at the monthly meeting of Grey Lynn 2030:Transition Community, which is part of the international Transition Towns movement.

Suzanne Kendrick, Grey Lynn 2030 steering committee member who is supporting Pippa’s campaign says

“We are very pleased to support an independent community candidate for a community trust.

“It is in the interests of the beneficiaries of the trust – all those with a power bill in greater Auckland, – that the trustees be a good representation of us all and bring a diversity of perspectives to the decisions the Trust makes”

“Business as usual’ in today’s world is not an option as we transition to a low carbon economy and toward more benign methods of energy production, distribution and use. Pippa, through her background with the Transition movement will bring this vital, but currently missing, perspective to the Trust as a trustee” Ms Kendrick said

The election for the five trustees is scheduled from 15 October by postal ballot, with polling day on 30 October.

ENDS