How we compare
A comparison site is only worth using if you know how it works. This page is the whole method — who we cover, how results are ordered, how we get paid, and what we don't know yet.
Who we compare
We compare 8 power companies. New Zealand has roughly 30 electricity retailers, so this is not everyone — it is the companies we work with, and between them they supply the large majority of New Zealand households.
The 8 are:
- Contact Energy
- Genesis Energy
- Mercury
- Meridian Energy
- Powershop
- Nova Energy
- Pulse Energy
- Electric Kiwi — a paying partner
Two companies you might expect are deliberately absent. Trustpower no longer sells power under its own name — Mercury bought its retail book, so Mercury is who you would be switching to. Frank Energy is closing, so listing it would send you to a company that cannot take you on.
How results are ordered
The default order is labelled "Featured, then market share", and that is exactly what it is. Companies we promote are placed first, and promoting a company is a paid commercial arrangement we decide on. Everyone else follows in order of market share — how many New Zealand homes they supply — because that is a fact we can point at rather than an opinion we formed.
We do not call the default order "best", "recommended" or "cheapest", because it is none of those things. A promoted company has paid for that position; it has not been judged better than the companies below it, and the sort controls let you reorder the list on criteria we have verified instead.
The other sort options are real. Choosing one re-orders the list on the spot, and a promoted company drops down it like anyone else if the data says so.
How we make money
Two ways, and neither costs you anything.
- Commission. Electric Kiwi pays us when someone signs up through our link. The other 7 companies we list pay us nothing.
- Quote requests. If you ask for a quote, we pass your contact details and address to a power company so they can talk to you about switching.
We think it is better to tell you this plainly than to bury it. A comparison you cannot see the workings of is worth very little.
What we know about each company
Everything on a company's page is checked against that company's own website before we publish it. Where we have not been able to confirm something, we leave it blank rather than guess — a missing badge is honest, a wrong one is not.
We currently hold sign-up credits, contract terms, exit fees, whether gas and prepay are available, bundling options and how the company generates its electricity. That is what the results page ranks on.
What we don't do yet
We do not show prices. Not estimated prices, not indicative prices, not "from" prices. Here is why that is harder than it sounds: electricity is priced per network region, per user type and per meter configuration, so a single company can have several hundred different prices depending on where you live and what is on your wall.
We are collecting rate files directly from each company rather than scraping approximations, and we will switch pricing on when we hold enough of them to make the comparison meaningful. Showing a real price for one company and nothing for the rest would look like a comparison while being nothing of the sort.
In the meantime the results page ranks on offers — the things we have verified.
Getting something wrong
We will, eventually. Prices and offers change and companies do not always announce it. If you spot something out of date or plain wrong, tell us and we will fix it. If you are a power company and we have your details wrong, we would genuinely rather hear from you than not.
Always confirm the details with the company before you sign anything. We are a starting point, not the contract.
Common questions
Are these all the power companies in New Zealand?
No. We compare 8 power companies. There are around 30 electricity retailers operating in New Zealand, so there will be options we don't show you. We tell you who we cover so you can decide whether to look further.
How do you make money?
Electric Kiwi pay us a commission when someone signs up through our link. The other companies we list don't pay us anything. We also earn from quote requests, which we pass to a power company so they can contact you.
Does paying you change where a company appears?
It can. The default order is "Featured, then market share" — a company we promote is placed first, and promotion is something a company pays for rather than something it earns on merit. Everyone else is ordered by market share. You can change the sort at any time and the list genuinely re-orders.
Why don't you show prices yet?
Power pricing in New Zealand is set per network region, per user type and per meter configuration — one company can have several hundred different prices. We are collecting rate files directly from the companies rather than estimating, and we would rather show you nothing than show you a number we cannot stand behind.
Is the comparison free?
Yes. It is free, and you do not need an account. We never charge you for using the site.
What do you do with my details?
If you ask for a quote we pass your name, email, phone and address to a power company so they can contact you about switching. We do not sell your details to anyone else. Our privacy policy sets out exactly what we collect.