Power prices in Oamaru

As at May 2026, electricity in Oamaru averaged 44.66c 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 $3,573 a year. That is 6.2% above the national average of 42.04c, making Oamaru the 18th 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 Oamaru the lines component is 19.17c per kWh — 43% of the total, against 40% nationally. The remaining 25.49c covers energy, metering and retailer costs, which vary far less by location.

Network Waitaki. Oamaru sits in the Waitaki (Network Waitaki) network reporting region, and Network Waitaki 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 440 220. Your retailer is who you choose and who bills you; the lines company is fixed by where you live.

Yes. In February 2004 the Oamaru average was 15.07c per kWh; by May 2026 it was 44.66c — a rise of 196% over 22 years. Over the last twelve months alone it rose 6.9%.

Possibly. The MBIE figure is an average of publicly advertised tariffs across Oamaru, not a quote — what you pay depends on your usage, your meter and which company you are with. Switching retailer does not change the 19.17c lines component, but it does change the 25.49c that sits on top of it. Comparing the companies we work with is free and takes a couple of minutes.