New Zealand Legislation: Acts

43G Other gas governance regulations

• (1) The Governor-General may, by Order in Council made on the recommendation of the Minister in accordance with sections 43I to 43P, make regulations for all or any of the purposes in subsection (2).

  (2) The purposes are

  • Complaints resolution system

  • (a) providing for the establishment of, or participation by gas distributors and gas retailers in, a complaints resolution system (that may include codes of practice) for the purpose of addressing complaints by all or any of small consumers (including potential small consumers), or owners and occupiers of land into, through, or against which pipelines have been laid down or placed, relating to gas retailers and gas distributors, or setting out minimum requirements in relation to that system, including—

    • (i) provision for compensation up to a maximum of $20,000 to be awarded, and other actions to be taken, by the complaints resolution agency in relation to those complaints:

    • (ii) provision for rights of review, or rights of appeal on a question of law only, in relation to decisions relating to those complaints:

  • Prepayment meters

  • (b) requiring gas retailers to offer prepayment meters to domestic consumers at a reasonable cost, and prescribing conditions on which those meters must be offered, with the objective of ensuring that all domestic consumers who wish to pay for gas in advance have the option to do so at reasonable cost:

  • Ability of consumers to choose preferred gas retailer

  • (c) providing for arrangements to enable consumers to switch gas retailers:

  • Transition arrangements for insolvent gas retailers

  • (d) providing a system of transition arrangements for consumers in the event of a gas retailer becoming insolvent, and requiring industry participants to comply with that system, with the objective of protecting consumers or managing the liabilities of other gas retailers:

  • Disclosure of information

  • (e) providing for the disclosure of information by gas transmitters, distributors, and retailers on tariff and other charges:

  • Terms and conditions of access

  • (f) providing for terms and conditions of access to gas meters by gas retailers:

  • Information on customer accounts

  • (g) providing for information on customer accounts:

  • Consumer contracts

  • (h) providing for minimum terms and conditions in contracts between domestic consumers and gas distributors or gas retailers:

  • Dispute resolution procedures

  • (i) providing procedures for resolving disputes between industry participants:

  • (j) providing for the operation and facilitation of those dispute resolution procedures by a person, and the powers and procedures of that person:

  • Enforcement of gas governance regulations

  • (k) providing for compliance with gas governance regulations and rules to be monitored and enforced by the industry body or the Commission or any other person or court, and the powers and procedure of that person or court:

  • Processes

  • (l) providing for processes for settling particular issues within the gas industry that may result in recommendations for gas governance regulations or rules, and requiring compliance by industry participants, the industry body, and the Commission with those processes, including compliance with requirements to produce documents as part of those processes.

  Subparts 1, 2, and 4 of Part 4A (comprising sections 43A to 43ZZF, and section 43ZZR) were inserted, as from 18 October 2004, by section 5 Gas Amendment Act 2004 (2004 No 83).

  Section 43G(2)(c): substituted, on 20 September 2007, by section 4 of the Gas Amendment Act 2007 (2007 No 60).