Consumer care guidelines

We held a webinar on Friday 26 February to discuss the changes made to the consumer care guidelines and the next steps in the implementation process.

Registration for the workshops is essential as spaces are limited. To register please email mdvc.guidelines@ea.govt.nz  and advise which workshop you would like to attend.

• Auckland, Tuesday 3 November 2020 from 1pm to 3pm at Mercury Energy, Mokai Learning Centre (16), 33 Broadway, Newmarket

• Wellington, Thursday 5 November 2020 from 10am to 12pm at Wharewaka Function Centre, 2 Taranaki Street

• Christchurch, Wednesday 11 November 2020 from 9.30am to 11.30am at Meridian Energy, Level 2 the Awly Building, 287-293 Durham Street North

Please do not book travel until you have received confirmation of registration from the Authority.

We held a series of workshops, run by an independent facilitator and involving a mix of participants, including representatives from industry, social agencies, consumers, and other key stakeholders. 

Phase 2 | Initial Session:

There was an initial session on the process we intend to follow in updating the guidelines. This session was conducted via Zoom (webinar style) on 24 June 2020 and was for all key participants and stakeholders.

This session:

• Set the scene for the overall process
• Reiterated the case for change
• Communicated the key themes from feedback on the Phase 1 Addendum consultation
• Introduced a set of proposed design principles for the update process
• Provided an overview of the process and timeline in detail.

The presentation slides are available below.

Phase 2 | Workshop One:

This workshop was held on 1 July 2020 in Wellington. At this workshop particpants considered: 

• Key customer personae for vulnerable and medically dependent consumers
• Customer journey maps for these consumers’ engagement with retail electricity services and other supporting services
• Identification of key pain points as the focus of changes to the guidelines
• Rechecking that design principles remain valid.

The presentation slides are available below.

Phase 2 | Workshop Two:

This workshop was held on 15 July 2020 in Wellington. At this workshop participants:

• Revisited design principles to assess solutions
• Considered the spectrum of design options for updated guidance
• Considered a preferred model for further work

The presentation slides are available below.

Phase 2 | Workshop Three:

Workshop three was split into two separate sessions. An in-person event was held on 29 July 2020 in Wellington. A Zoom event was held the following day.

At these sessions, a prototype of the new guideline(s) was discussed, based on the preferred option identified in Workshop Two. Participants tested the guideline(s):

• Alignment to the agreed design principles
• Practicability from an industry, and social agency perspective
• Resilience against a range of consumer scenarios, based on the earlier customer personae

The presentation slides are available below.

Phase 2 | Summary Workshops:

On 13 August 2020 we held a Zoom workshop to discuss the application of the guidelines and key policy questions.

The presentation slides are available below. 

On 9 September 2020 we held a Zoom-only event to work through a strawman of the guidelines in more detail. This was initially scheduled as an in-person event in Wellngton. We regret that this was changed to a Zoom-only event because of the COVID Alert Level situation.