The background was that under the reforms of the government in power at the time, the whole situation was set up perfectly. Under the old regime there was a Ministry of Works who planned ahead and built generating plants to provide capacity. They were also responsible for the transmission of power and the maintenance of lines and supply. Also for the forecast of the requirement for new generation capacity. No problem. Power was sold to consumers basically at cost. Perfect. But, oh dear, how old fashioned and inefficient.
Then the new regime, and I can't remember if they were Thatcherite Wannabe Socialists or Torys, they are pretty much all the same, decided to "de-regulate" the electricity game. One of the rules was that an electricity provider couldn't own the transmission lines. It was split off. So all the smart money got into generation and supply, where the income was, and no one got into transmission, where the costs of upkeep and maintenance were. The competing providers would supposedly drive prices down as they touted for the consumers' business. NOT. They were all talking to each other on the side, price fixing, unproven apart from the consumers monthly power bill and general impression that things were a hell of a lot worse rather than a lot better!
So the lines were neglected and the inevitable happened. All these reforms were sold to us, the people of New Zealand, as the perfect capitalist solution that would bring power prices down as suppliers competed for our dollar. Guess what? The cost of power to the consumer has risen year after year after year. Doubling and trippling the cost to the consumer as top heavy providers gouge the consumer for their last dollar.
I despise them all. The politicians, smart money people, who thought they knew better than the average man in the street who didn't want their perfect power supply, planning and transmission regime interfered with.
It's been an unmitigated effing dissaster!
