Why Entrust needs New Leadership

Conor Sharp – Greater Auckland blog

Why Entrust needs New Leadership

What if I told you that if you pay for electricity in Auckland’s Isthmus, South Auckland, East Auckland, or Waiheke Island, you have a say in how a $3.76b company is run?

What if I told you that one group has been in control of this resource on your behalf for the past 30 years, and is running it in an almost comically bad fashion?

What if I told you that this group is re-elected, every three years, by only 9.5% of eligible voters, and receives between $60,000-$200,000+ for their part-time roles?

What if I told you that in the next 5 days you have the power to change this?

Dubbed “Auckland’s political soap opera of the year” by Todd Niall in 2018, the Entrust Election determines who manages Entrust – a community-owned electricity trust which holds a controlling 75.1% stake in Vector.

Vector is the electrical lines company in Auckland, and at its current market valuation, that 75.1% stake is worth $2.8b. This is an enormously valuable community asset, so it’s vital that it’s managed with integrity by capable people. I’m writing this because if run well, it has the potential to have a major positive impact on the day to day lives of Aucklanders.

Every three years, those who hold power accounts in the Entrust area vote to select five trustees to control and manage this community asset, who in turn can appoint two directors to the board of Vector.

Yet, if you’re aware of Entrust at all, it’s likely because it dishes out a “dividend” each year. But the dividend is a bait and switch, with strings attached. For one thing, the value of the dividend hasn’t kept up with inflation, and has fallen in real value since 2006.

The incumbents, C&R, treat Entrust as a personal fiefdom, and it’s one that’s reportedly rife with infighting and bullying. As one person with inside knowledge of Entrust put it to Rod Oram in 2021: “Entrust is a superannuation scheme for failed National party politicians”. They spend thousands of dollars every year to advertise the dividend, yet do nothing to advertise the election.

Thanks to this self-serving approach, C&R have retained control of Entrust for the past 30 years. But they have not changed with the times. As power prices continue to rise and our energy supply is becoming less secure, we deserve more transparent, trustworthy, and active management of this vital asset. While Entrust has stagnated, the true value of what the community owns can still be realised.

Thankfully, this year, there is an opportunity to vote for that change. There is a highly qualified group looking to lower power bills by driving a widespread rollout of solar and batteries.

The More for You, Better for Auckland team.

The team includes two former Auckland Councillors in Pippa Coom and Paul Young, Greater Auckland’s own Patrick Reynolds, Urban Designer Emma McInnes, and Community Leader Jonaan McLeod. All have a wealth of experience in governance, and bring a diverse set of skills and knowledge to the table. They come with a drive to actually do something about the changing electricity environment, instead of just pretending that 30 years of drama, chaos and stagnation is fine.

You may have seen colourful billboards around Auckland, showing their smiling faces and who they are. You may have seen interviews in the media, or articles in the news. I would ask where the incumbents from C&R are? Why are their faces not on their billboards? Why have you never heard about them?

More for You, Better for Auckland, as Patrick explained a month ago, comes ready with a bold plan to unleash Vectors potential, drawing on research by Rewiring Aotearoa to advance a rapid expansion of home solar and battery as seen in Australia.

This will lead to lower power bills as solar is one of the cheapest forms of energy generation, which means more money in people’s pockets every week. The largest solar farm in New Zealand takes up 93 hectares of land, but this could be spread around the roofs of the largest 14 buildings in Auckland to power 13,000 homes.

It doesn’t matter if someone owns or rents a home, it doesn’t matter if someone is a business owner, accelerating rooftop solar will benefit everyone.

Not only that, but widespread solar and batteries will increase the resilience of communities during outages and weather events. By boosting solar on schools, marae, and community centres, community hubs are created to support people when disasters occur.

This is something we can do – if we choose to. Right now, we’re at a fork in the road. Either we elect a fresh team with a clear, evidence-based and future-proofed vision. A team that is motivated and driven to make a positive difference. The More for You, Better for Auckland team.

Or, alternatively, we let C&R continue to muddle along, embroiled in internal chaos, court battles and fighting. Trustees being bullied out, or leaving for ‘personal reasons’ only to turn back up as an independent to run against C&R (as is the case this year).

The only thing most people ever see from C&R and Entrust, is the big song and dance about the dividend. A dividend which conveniently lands in people’s accounts just before the election. But this dividend has not kept up with inflation. This year it was 70% of what it should be. They are selling Aucklanders short, expecting you to be grateful for it, and through a complete lack of promotion are essentially hiding the fact they are voted in by the community.

It’s time to turn up and turn out in the next few days, because every vote matters. To repeat what Rod Oram said about the last Entrust election in 2021, this is a “chance to clean out an Auckland shambles”. Share this post, talk to your friends and family – and remind them the power is ours.

You have until the 25th of October to vote (but you need to post it by the 24th of October, and yes it is a postal vote bar 12 drop off locations across the entire area). If you don’t have your ballot yet call 0800 666 030 and they can send you one overnight.

We have the power to lower our bills, build a more resilient community, and look towards a powerful practical vision for the future.

If that’s something you want, ensure you vote for those who want more for you and better for Auckland.