As the election for the leadership of New Zealand’s largest energy consumer trust, Entrust enters its second week many of the 323,000 “consumers” in the Entrust district eligible to vote are yet to receive voting papers. Moreover, the incumbent trustees have confirmed they have provided zero budget for Entrust to promote the election . As well as driving record low turnouts, this negligent approach deprives voters of the opportunity to participate in decisions about Vector, their $2.76bn community asset.

“From the feedback we are receiving, we know that voters are completely in the dark about their right to vote, and confused about the timing and nature of this election. We also know people are facing multiple barriers to getting their voting papers in. The plummeting turnout over several Entrust elections shows that relying on postal voting, within a short window, is utterly unfit for purpose in 2024. It's a democratic sham”. says Mr Patrick Reynolds, spokesperson for More for you, Better for Auckland, the independent team running as fresh leadership for Entrust.

The incumbent National party aligned C&R Trustees have confirmed there is no budget for promoting the Entrust election. Their entire election promotion "strategy" consists of a link on the Entrust website, which is buried behind a large homepage advertisement for the Entrust dividend paid out just before voting starts.

“It is indefensible that in 2024, the Entrust election has not been modernised,” says Mr Reynolds. “It’s completely within the powers of the five Trustees to pursue a more egalitarian voting system, extend the voting period and properly advertise the election as widely as possible. Because the Entrust election isn’t subject to the normal rules under the Electoral Act, the incumbents can essentially fund an expensive campaign advertising the Entrust dividend, closely aligned to their own candidacy – while at the same time doing nothing to raise awareness of the Election in an impartial way.

Secretive governance, and running low-key elections rife with general confusion and disengagement, has served the incumbents for 30 years. But it hasn't served Aucklanders. This needs to change. It's time for fresh leadership and democratic elections.

Voters who are only just receiving their voting papers today, Wednesday 16 October, six days after voting started, now face an incredibly short window to fill in the voting ballot and find a mailbox to post by the recommended date of Wednesday 23 October.

This adds an additional barrier to those commonly alienated by the process of voting. “For whānau who are already stressed from energy hardship in a cost of living crisis, it is unrealistic to expect engagement in the election without any information about why the election is important, or any guidance about how to vote,” says More for You, Better for Auckland candidate Jonaan McLeod who is standing to become the first ever Māori elected on to Entrust. “It is unacceptable that the incumbent trustees have made no attempt to reverse the below 9% turnout in my community at the last election.”

“The voting system is also really confusing. There are two options to post - using either NZ Post or DXMail - and two different recommended deadlines for each service (and a different date listed again on election resources). The courier branding on the envelope adds to the confusion about how to vote.”

Ms McLeod notes there has been a minor “innovation” this year to introduce ballot boxes at supermarkets. “We know this could be a very popular option for busy whānau, but these boxes are only located in Woolworths supermarkets, and there are only two drop-off ballot boxes serving the entire south of Auckland. "You have to ask: are the incumbent trustees that out of touch? Or is this a blatant attempt to suppress the vote?" Families on tight budgets are far more likely to shop at Pak’n’Save, so this is creating a further barrier to voting,” says Ms McLeod.

Not only is the Entrust Election frustrating for experienced voters, it’s proving especially confusing for new New Zealanders who are hearing about the election for the first time.

“Across my community I have been trying to explain how the Entrust election works, but it is difficult without proper election resources from Entrust, and with no advertising about the election,” says More for You, Better for Auckland candidate Mr Paul Young, a former Auckland Councillor who will be Entrust’s first Asian Trustee. “Like me, many immigrants are voting for the first time in the Entrust Election only because I have been doing everything possible to make voters aware of the election that hasn’t been made relevant to them until now.”

‘“When I was first sent a photo of the ballot box in a Woolworth supermarket, I thought it must be a joke to use an orange rubbish bin. The Aucklanders I am speaking to are very surprised that Entrust would be so disrespectful to democracy. This is yet another disincentive to vote, if the ballot box doesn’t look like an official drop-off point for important voting documents,” says Mr Young. “They are also hard to find, as there are only 10 ballot boxes for the whole of the Entrust district – and no Entrust map of the locations.”

Entrust can influence power prices, speed up the move to cost-effective solar power, improve the security of energy supply, adding to community resilience and reducing emissions – all of which also boosts the return received from Entrust’s majority shareholding in Vector. But only with fresh leadership, says Mr Reynolds.

“The Entrust election is too important to ignore. Only a vote for More for You, Better for Auckland will result in a fresh approach from motivated leadership who will modernise the Entrust election and point your Trust in the right direction for the 21st Century," says Mr Reynolds.

Notes:

The Entrust election began on Thursday 10 October and ends at 5pm on 25 October. The Entrust election is held by postal vote. In general, each household within the Entrust District gets one vote. Voting papers go to the person whose name is on the power bill and paying Vector line charges as part of their power bill.

Entrust owns a 75.1% share of Vector and is a major decision-maker for lines and energy in Auckland. Entrust pays an annual dividend to its beneficiaries, some 364,000 households across the former Auckland Electric Power Board area.

C&R's election fact check states with regards to promotion of the election "There is a link to the official website for the Entrust election on Entrust’s front home page. It is not appropriate for Entrust or it’s Trustees to get involved in the election."

How to vote

Voting papers should have arrived in your home mailbox no later than Tuesday 15 October. If you didn’t receive your papers, contact 0800 666 030.

There are three options for voting:

• Pop the pre-paid envelope containing your voting papers in a NZ Post Mail box no later than Wednesday October to arrive in time; OR
• Pop the pre-paid envelope with your voting papers in a DXMail mailbox no later than Wednesday 23 October to arrive in time ; OR
• Drop off your voting papers (in the Entrust-provided envelope) at the orange bin in one of the 10 Woolworths supermarkets provided with Entrust ballot boxes, right up until 5pm on election day Friday 25 October

Resources provided by the Returning Officer about where to find mail boxes and supermarket ballot boxes https://www.electionz.com/entrust/ (where to deliver your completed voting paper list of locations confusingly states the last day to post is Thursday 24 October)

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