Electric Kiwi Customer Care Policy

1. Our Commitment to Customer Care

At Electric Kiwi, we are committed to fairness, transparency, and proactive support for our customers. As a provider of electricity, broadband, and mobile services, we recognise the importance of these services in daily life and are dedicated to helping customers stay connected. We believe in working respectfully, collaboratively, and constructively with all customers to ensure our services remain accessible, affordable, and suitable for their needs.

2. Recognising the Importance of Our Services

  • Electricity is an essential service that is critical for wellbeing, safety, and health.
  • Broadband and mobile are vital services, enabling communication, work, education, and social connectivity.
  • We are committed to helping customers maintain access to these vital services, providing clear information and support.

3. Clear and Accessible Communication

We ensure that all customer interactions are:

  • Understandable, timely, clear, and accessible.
  • Adapted to individual needs, including language barriers, disability considerations, and communication preferences.
  • Available in multiple formats, including online, live chat, and phone support.
  • Assisted by a nominated support person, where needed, to improve accessibility.
  • If you are Deaf, hard of hearing, speech-impaired or vision-impaired, the New Zealand Relay Service is a free and secure service that can help you communicate with us. Learn more at www.nzrelay.co.nz.

4. Assistance with Choosing the Best Pricing Plan

To help you make informed decisions, we provide:

  • Easy access to information about pricing plans and options on our website.
  • Guidance on selecting the most suitable electricity, broadband, and mobile plan based on your household’s needs – just contact us on live chat.
  • Customers can request information about their electricity consumption to help them make informed decisions about which pricing plan best suits their needs.
  • We also recommend visiting Powerswitch, a free and independent energy comparison tool that allows you to compare pricing plans across electricity retailers based on your actual usage.

5. Support for Customers Experiencing Payment Difficulties

We understand that financial challenges can arise, and we are committed to working with you to maintain access to electricity. If you are experiencing payment difficulties, we will:

  • Engage with you proactively to find solutions before your account falls into arrears.
  • Offer payment support plans tailored to your circumstances.
  • Refer you to support agencies, with your consent, for additional assistance.
  • Ensure disconnection of electricity is a last resort, only considered after all reasonable steps have been taken to avoid it.

6. Disconnection and Reconnection

We view disconnection as a last resort. Our priority is always to work with you to avoid getting to that point, and we have a range of support options available if you’re experiencing payment difficulties (see section 5).

Before Disconnection

  • Provide at least 7 business days’ notice in writing, including information about how to avoid disconnection and support options available.
  • Issue a final warning between 24 hours and 7 days before the disconnection occurs.
  • Make multiple contact attempts using your preferred communication method, and reach out to any nominated support person or alternate contact (if you’ve appointed one).
  • Provide details of how to access our dispute resolution process if you believe there’s an issue with your account.

We will not disconnect your electricity:

  • If someone at the property is registered as a Medically Dependent Consumer (MDC).
  • On a public holiday, or the day before a public holiday.
  • If the outstanding balance is under active dispute.

Reconnection

If your power has been disconnected, our goal is to reconnect you as soon as possible once the issue is resolved. We will:

  • Reconnect your electricity promptly—typically on the same business day—once the reason for disconnection has been resolved (e.g. overdue balance paid, or a payment plan is in place).
  • Ensure it is safe to reconnect, which may require someone to be present at the property or confirmation that appliances have been switched off.
  • Explain any applicable reconnection fees clearly before they are charged. These fees reflect our reasonable costs and are published here.
  • Support you post-reconnection with tailored payment options or guidance to help prevent disconnection from happening again.

7. Medically Dependent Customers

If someone in your household relies on electricity for critical medical support, they may be eligible to be registered as a Medically Dependent Consumer (MDC). To register, you will need to complete a form with your health practitioner. You can download the form from our website. Once submitted, we’ll update our records and ensure your account is appropriately flagged and will:

  • Work with you to ensure continued power supply.
  • Provide guidance on individual emergency response plans.
  • Avoid disconnection, except in emergencies or as required by law.

8. Avoiding Disparate Outcomes

Electric Kiwi is committed to ensuring that all customers receive fair and equal access to our services, regardless of language, ethnicity, education level, culture, gender, disability, age, health, income, or wealth. To achieve this, we:

  • Use plain, simple English in our communications.
  • Offer multiple ways to contact us, including live chat, email, phone support (where a callback is requested) and online self-service options.
  • Aim to make our website and services accessible to all customers, including those with disabilities.
  • Proactively identify customers who may be experiencing payment difficulties and offer support options.
  • Monitor and review customer interactions and complaints regularly to ensure we are meeting our commitment to fairness and accessibility.

We actively work to reduce barriers that may prevent customers from accessing our services and continuously improve our policies to better support our diverse customer base.

9. Working with Support and Health Agencies

We have processes in place to:

  • Seek your consent for referrals to financial or social support agencies.
  • Allow reasonable time for assistance without penalties.
  • Work collaboratively with support agencies to assist customers in financial difficulty.
  • Align with industry protocols, ensuring consistency across providers.

If you're looking for tips to reduce your energy usage or seeking budgeting support, visit our Customer Care page. This page also includes contact details for free and reputable budgeting services such as MoneyTalks, as well as ways to improve your home's energy efficiency.

10. Transparency on Fees, Discounts, and Bonds

We are committed to full transparency on any fees or charges, including:

  • Clear disclosure of all fees and conditional discounts upfront.
  • Reasonable charges that do not exceed actual costs.
  • We do not currently charge bonds; however, if we were to require a bond in the future, it would be reasonable and aligned with industry guidelines.
  • Full details on electricity service fees can be found here: Electric Kiwi Electricity Service Fees

11. Continuous Improvement and Policy Review

We are committed to continually improving our customer care processes by:

  • Regularly reviewing customer interactions and feedback to identify areas where we can enhance our support.
  • Monitoring issues that arise in relation to residential consumer care and using these experiences to refine our approach.
  • Adapting our policies and processes to ensure they align with best practices and changing customer needs.
  • Reviewing this policy at least annually or sooner if required, to ensure it remains fit for purpose.

By doing so, we ensure that our customer care commitments remain relevant, effective, and in line with the purpose of supporting consumer wellbeing and access to essential services.

12. How to Get Support or Raise Concerns

If you have any questions or need assistance, you can:

  • Contact our Customer Experience Team via Live Chat.
  • Visit our website for support resources and FAQs.
  • Raise concerns through our internal dispute process or escalate to:

Full terms and conditions for our services can be found here: