(1) The Governor-General may from time to time, by Order in Council, make regulations imposing or providing for the imposition of restraint in respect of the charges relating to line function services—
(a) to domestic premises (as defined in section 90):
(b) to consumers in sparsely populated areas (rural consumers).
(2) Without limiting the generality of subsection (1), regulations made under this section may impose, or provide for the imposition of, price restraint in respect of the charges relating to line function services to domestic premises or rural consumers—
(a) by electricity distributors generally or by particular classes of electricity distributors or by individual electricity distributors:
(b) in respect of particular classes of areas or an individual area or areas, defined by reference to geographic area or sparsity of population or distance from main centres or any other method of definition:
(c) in respect of particular classes of consumers.
(3) Regulations made under this section do not apply to—
(a) the offering to consumers of terms and conditions for new line function services:
(b) charges relating to the national grid.
(4) Without limiting the generality of subsection (1), regulations made under this section may impose, or provide for the imposition of, price restraint in respect of charges for line function services, despite the fact that the charge is not payable directly by an end-consumer to an electricity distributor, but is payable via an electricity retailer.
Compare: 1992 No 122 s 63(1), (2)