Hon Dr Megan Woods
Minister for Energy and Resources
MEDIA STATEMENT
16 April 2018
Retail power price review panel named
The Energy and Resources Minister Megan Woods has today released the details of who will sit on an expert advisory panel
which is tasked with leading a review into the price of electricity in New Zealand.
“The eight-person expert advisory panel – which will be chaired by Miriam Dean QC – will play a key role into assessing
whether the electricity market is delivering power at the fair and equitable price,” said Megan Woods.
“Every member of the panel brings a wealth of expertise and experience to the table and a range of skills that
complement each other and will be a part of a review that will be of special interest to the New Zealand public.
“The panel’s primary task is to provide peer and technical advice for the review which will also look at whether the
electricity market and its governance arrangements are appropriate for the rapid changes in technology and innovation
taking place in the sector.”
Megan Woods last month released the terms of reference for the review which will be supported by a secretariat provided by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment
and external consultants.
The first meeting of the expert advisory panel is due to be held later this month and the final report is expected to be
delivered to the Minister early next year.
Expert advisory panel members:
Miriam Dean CNZM QC (chair) - Miriam has extensive governance and commercial litigation experience. She is a Queen’s Counsel whose practice focuses
on commercial, competition and consumer law, arbitration and mediation. She has chaired previous Government inquiries
and was a member of the 2009 review into the electricity market.
Lee Wilson - Lee was a founding director of Concept Consulting and has over 30 years’ experience in the energy sector in New
Zealand. He has held a number of senior executive roles in the energy sector, and was also a founding director of the
Electricity Market Company.
John Small - John specialises in competition and regulatory economics plus mergers and commercial disputes. A director of Covec
with 25 years’ consulting experience, he was formerly an academic economist at the University of Auckland.
Sue Chetwin - Sue is the chief executive of Consumer New Zealand and brings with her a wealth of experience in consumer advocacy.
Sue is also a director of the Banking Ombudsman Scheme and a member of the Electricity Authority Retail Advisory Panel.
John Hancock - John has had a 25-year career in the utilities and technology industries including 14 years with Ernst & Young, Capgemini and Hewlett Packard in the Asia Pacific. He has worked with a number of large international utilities
on technological responses to industry trends.
Anne Herrington – Anne worked on the early development of the electricity wholesale market with the Electricity Corporation of New
Zealand. She has extensive experience in the New Zealand energy market and energy pricing sectors, and was a consumer
representative on the Electricity Commission’s Retail Advisory Panel.
Sue Roberts – Sue has over 30 years’ commercial experience, including 16 years in the energy sector in senior management and
consultancy roles with Contact Energy, the Natural Gas Company, Genesis Energy and the Electricity Corporation of New
Zealand. She is a current member of Electricity Rulings Panel.
Peter Harris – Peter is a former board member of the Electricity Commission and the Electricity Authority Establishment Board and
served as an economic advisor to Michael Cullen in the Labour Government from 1999 to 2002