Power prices in Dunedin

As at May 2026, electricity in Dunedin averaged 42.43c per kWh including GST. For a household using 8,000 kWh a year on a low-user plan, paying on time and taking any prompt-payment discount, with controlled hot water, that works out to roughly $3,394 a year. That is 0.9% above the national average of 42.04c, making Dunedin the 31st most expensive of the 42 towns MBIE surveys.

Lines charges are the part of a power bill that changes most from town to town, because every area is served by a different network. In Dunedin the lines component is 16.80c per kWh — 40% of the total, against 40% nationally. The remaining 25.64c covers energy, metering and retailer costs, which vary far less by location.

Aurora Energy. Dunedin sits in the Dunedin (Aurora Energy) network reporting region, and Aurora Energy owns and maintains the poles and wires — so they are who you call in a power cut, not your power company. Their faults line is 0800 22 00 05. Your retailer is who you choose and who bills you; the lines company is fixed by where you live.

Yes. In February 2004 the Dunedin average was 14.43c per kWh; by May 2026 it was 42.43c — a rise of 194% over 22 years. Over the last twelve months alone it rose 9.8%.

Possibly. The MBIE figure is an average of publicly advertised tariffs across Dunedin, not a quote — what you pay depends on your usage, your meter and which company you are with. Switching retailer does not change the 16.80c lines component, but it does change the 25.64c that sits on top of it. Comparing the companies we work with is free and takes a couple of minutes.