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Splitting power generators from their retail arms would not cut electricity bills

With energy prices spiking, an old idea has gathered fresh momentum: break up the big electricity companies. New Zealand First put the proposal on its agenda at the party’s State of the Nation address, calling for the four gentailers, companies that both generate and retail power, to be split apart. Read more

Dr Oliver Hartwich
NZ Herald
16 April, 2026
Ryan Bridge

Newstalk ZB: Dr Oliver Hartwich on the case for ministerial power over department chief executives

Dr Oliver Hartwich talked to Ryan Bridge on Newstalk ZB about why ministers should have the power to appoint and dismiss their department chief executives, arguing the current system, where the Public Service Commission makes these appointments, is unusual internationally and can hinder a government's ability to implement its agenda. He pointed to the resource management reforms as an example where bureaucratic resistance may have watered down the government's plans, and highlighted Germany's model, where ministers appoint a qualified state secretary while the rest of the public service remains neutral and protected. Read more

Dr Oliver Hartwich
Ryan Bridge
Newstalk ZB
8 April, 2026

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