Power prices are hurting families and small businesses across Auckland, and now the Employers and Manufacturers Association (EMA) has joined an urgent call for energy market reform.

In an open letter to the Prime Minister, independent energy retailers and business groups, including the EMA, say New Zealand’s electricity market is broken and no longer serving everyday households or businesses.

The letter warns that new power generation isn’t being built fast enough, gas is running out, and a lack of genuine competition is keeping prices high.

“We’re running out of gas, and new electricity generation just isn’t being built fast enough,” the letter states.

For many Coastie businesses, wholesale electricity costs have more than doubled.

Smaller, independent retailers are disappearing, and families are struggling with steep winter bills.

“Power prices are soaring, leaving New Zealand families with stark choices to make about whether to heat their homes,” the letter continues.

The EMA, which represents thousands of businesses across Auckland and the Hibiscus Coast, says the current market structure, where a few companies control both generation and retail, limits innovation and fair pricing.

That, in turn, is hurting productivity and competitiveness.

The letter urges the Government to take bold action: unlock investment in renewables, protect consumers, and develop a bipartisan energy strategy that secures long-term affordability.

For Coast-based employers trying to stay afloat, this push could be a lifeline.

If reform is taken seriously, it might finally bring the fairer, more competitive energy system locals need.

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