Power boards consider amalgamation protest

Press, 21 February 1986, Page 4

Power boards consider amalgamation protest

The Port Hills Energy Authority seems set to join 11 North Island power boards in- a publicity campaign against the Government’s forced amalgamation of power authorities. The North Island boards have pledged $50,000 for the campaign, to be led by the Australian amalgamation expert, Dr Michael Jones. The Heathcote County electrical engineer, Mr lan Bywater, says that the council will probably provide its $5OOO to join the campaign. With Lyttelton Borough, Heathcote makes up the recently formed Port Hills Energy Authority. Mr Bywater, who attended as South Island representative a meeting in Auckland last week of those organising the campaign, said last evening that the organisers had approached the Port Hills authority for its support. The authority’s chairman, Mr Bob Simcock, was keen to support the campaign against forced amalgamation, Mr Bywate&said. He believed the authority would also be keen to support the

campaign to persuade the public from the view of the Minister of Energy, Mr Tizard, that fewer and larger power authorities will produce savings and lower power prices. While the campaign, to be offically launched later this week, would be expensive, Heathcote was aware it was an important issue.

Other Canterbury power authority chairmen said last evening that they had heard of the plan for the campaign, which will use public relations consultants in Wellington and Christchurch to manage it.

None of the authorities had actually discussed the proposal and their support of it.

Mr Murray Faulkner, of the Central Canterbury Electric Power Board, said he doubted his board would be in favour of supporting the campaign. Cr Morgan Fahey, chairman of the Christchurch City Council’s airport and electricity committee which administers the M.E.D., said he was not aware of the-cam-paign. H Mr Tizard, whose’ an-

nouncement last year that electricity authorities were to be reduced from more than 60 to 20 prompted the campaign, dismissed the plan last evening. “My advice is, ‘Save your $50,000’,” he said in Christchurch.

The amalgamations were definitely going ahead, Mr Tizard said. The publicity campaign was a waste of electricity consumers’ money.

The campaign was initiated by the Waitomo Electric Power Board, which has been joined by 10 other North Island boards in pledging up to $5OOO to fund the campaign.

The person they have chosen to front the campaign, Dr Jones, has an impressive background of knowledge in matters of amalgamation. A lecturer in political science at the Canberra Institute of Advanced Studies, he has studied the effects of amalgamations of territorial and electrical authorities for six years, and has the reputation of never losing a case when acting for clients against a merger.

Dr Jones, who was in Auckland last week for the meeting with campaign organisers, will hold two seminars in New Zealand next month. One will be in Christchurch. Mr Tizard reiterated last evening his reasons for requiring the Local Government Commission to consider electricity supply reform and mergers.

There were savings to be had for the consumers frm reduced costs. These included savings on frequency equipment, staff, computers, and peak loads.

“Small authorities cannot employ specialist staff or equipment With a larger authority there is a better balance of loading so that one group’s l.ow usage can be matched with another’s peak. That way savings on peak demand can be made.”

“If they do not accept amalgamation they are being unrealistic,” Mr Tizard said. “What is more, they are wasting consumers’ money. The case for amalgamation is obviqbs and has been put repeatedly. The amalisamatioßS will take place.”