Power in the hands of one party for 30 years – that doesn’t sound very democratic, does it? And yet that’s the situation Entrust has found itself in, ever since its origins as the Auckland Consumer Energy Trust. Since day one, the C&R ticket has controlled Entrust as its own fiefdom, hanging onto all five trustee positions every three years.

In 2009, in hopes of being a trustee, I stood as an independent. I thought I had a fair chance, and I knew I had something to offer. As a former Vector lawyer I understood the field, and I wanted to serve in the interests of the community.

I quickly discovered this was a contest that was stacked against newcomers, the normal democratic process heavily distorted in favour of the incumbents by a well-feathered campaign, low turnout and a cumbersome postal voting system.

Afterwards, I wrote about that experience and how a lack of voter awareness combined with media incuriosity to essentially hand the trust to one party. I ventured a prediction: “It will be interesting to see what the media and electricity consumers make in future of power cuts, under-investment in energy infrastructure, rising energy bills, excessive Trustee fees, unsustainable dividend payments, a lack of community engagement by the Trust or any of the range of issues facing Vector and the AECT.”

These issues, already visible on the horizon in 2009, can no longer be ignored. For decades, C&R has failed to tackle them, leaving Auckland households worse off as a result. Worse, C&R dominance of the Trust gifts them two trustees on the board of Vector (each receiving an extra $107,000 pa director fee), where they also hold back innovation. They show no ambition to support consumers beyond doling out an annual dividend that continues to shrink in value.

And over the years, the Entrust election has become even less democratic. In 2021, the late Rod Oram wrote of the 2018 election “C&R made it a real turnoff, hence only 12.44 percent of voters cast their ballots” (Chance to clean out an Auckland shambles). Incredibly, 2021 turnout plummeted even further than that record low, to a mere 9.5%.

You would think that as trustees, C&R would be concerned about this. Surely they would want a proper mandate. Instead, they’ve done next to nothing to reverse the decline in voting. This is shocking. It is completely within their power to modernise the two-week postal voting system, which is no longer fit for purpose, with fewer post boxes, and far less frequent mail deliveries.

It seems it suits the incumbents that the voting system they control creates multiple hurdles to participation. This isn’t just about remembering to post a ballot. Just one example of the many barriers: in 2018, the City Vision team discovered that the C&R Entrust Trustees had actually banned the independent Electoral Officer from promoting the Entrust election turnout!

The way C&R runs the election is even more of a barrier for apartment dwellers and renters, which includes many young people. Only the person whose name is on the power account receives the voting papers. (They’re also the person who receives the annual dividend, conveniently timed to arrive just before the election.)

In an apartment building, it is often the body corporate on behalf of all the residents who gets the voting papers. In a flat, it could be the landlord, or a person who doesn’t live there, or a flatmate who quietly pockets the dividend and bins the ballot without the other flatmates knowing.

And forget it if you need to cast a special vote from out of town or overseas – because there is only a two-week voting window. (This year, the Electoral Officer recommends posting voting papers by 21st October to arrive in time for election day on 25th October.)

In 2024, there will be the option to use ballot boxes located at 10 Woolworth supermarkets across the Entrust district, up until election day. But this overdue “innovation” has come too little, too late – and there’s no information yet about which supermarkets, and where (as at 4 October the Entrust “election resource” page is empty and there has been zero promotion of the election coming up in less than a week).

Perhaps the most shocking aspect of the election is the timing of the annual dividend just before voting starts. It’s cunning stuff: the dividend lands in voters’ accounts just ahead of the election period, is misleadingly mentioned in electioneering, and trustees’ names and faces are all over the official messages about the dividend and benefit from extensive advertisements paid for by Entrust. This muddying of the field is not allowed in local government elections, and for good reason.The Parliamentary Justice Committee inquiry into the Entrust Election in 2021 found that “payouts made just prior to an energy trust election could be seen as influencing voters in favour of the existing board”.

The Entrust election can’t be approached as if it is a normal democratic election. C&R candidates don’t even bother to campaign in person, or attend public meetings to defend their policies or record, and as the election fast approaches we are seeing this same lazy approach in 2024. This is terrible for Auckland and for democracy. Luckily, there’s a better option.

That’s why I’m running for the Entrust board on an independent ticket called More for You, Better for Auckland.  It’s time for a proper 21st C approach to our city’s power needs.

We have a great team that promises fresh leadership, expertise in innovation, and a vision for more affordable power and a more resilient system.

 We’re motivated to run because there is so much at stake, and now’s the time to seize the opportunities the incumbents have been sitting on all this time. Entrust controls a $2.8 bn asset on behalf of the community. With visionary leadership and smart investment, there is so much potential to lower power bills, secure the energy supply and build community resilience.

More for You, Better for Auckland will deliver the innovation, diversity, transparency and accountability that Entrust needs. We have the fresh skills, experience, and solutions-focused policies to take Entrust forward for Auckland. You might have seen our colourful billboards. Check us out – we’re up for the challenge.

Voting starts Thursday 10 October, and 364,000 households will have the opportunity to ensure Entrust does more for you, and is better for Auckland. Look out for the Entrust voting papers in your letterbox. Do whatever it takes to get them in the mail by Monday 21 October, or into a supermarket ballot box near you before election day Friday 25 October.

The power is yours!

First published in Indian Newslink 5 October 2024