Business power in Canterbury, NZ: which of five lines companies you're on, why Orion's charges rose in 2026, winter control periods and irrigation networks.
Quick answer
What a Canterbury business pays for delivery depends on which of five lines companies it is on. Orion, covering Christchurch and Selwyn, raised charges 15.5% for an average business in April 2026 on higher Transpower and regulated costs, and charges large sites for winter peak demand. MainPower's charges didn't rise; Mid Canterbury and Waitaki peak with summer irrigation.
Lines network
Orion · MainPower · EA Networks · Alpine Energy · Network Waitaki
Main business centres
Christchurch · Rolleston · Rangiora · Kaiapoi · Ashburton · Timaru · Kaikōura
Canterbury has five lines companies. Whichever one your site is connected to sets the delivery part of your bill (what lines charges cover); only the retailer is a choice.
| Network | Area | Connections* | Owners | Price-regulated? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orion | Christchurch, Selwyn and Banks Peninsula, Rakaia to Waimakariri, out to Arthur's Pass | ~227,700 | Christchurch City Council 89.3%, Selwyn District Council 10.7% | Yes |
| MainPower | North of the Waimakariri through the Waimakariri and Hurunui districts to Kaikōura | ~45,600 | MainPower Trust | No |
| EA Networks | Mid Canterbury, Rakaia River to Rangitata River | ~21,400 | Co-operative: connected consumers and Ashburton District Council | Yes |
| Alpine Energy | South Canterbury: Timaru, Mackenzie and Waimate districts | ~33,900 | Timaru District Holdings 47.5%, LineTrust South Canterbury 40% | Yes |
| Network Waitaki | North Otago and parts of South Canterbury | ~13,500 | Waitaki Power Trust | No |
*Average connections in the year to 31 March 2025 (Commerce Commission). "Price-regulated" means the Commission caps the company's revenue.
Orion's prices rose 14.5% on average from 1 April 2026. For an average general business connection the rise was 15.5%, and for major and irrigation connections 15.8%. The main drivers:
In June 2026 Orion applied for a customised price path for April 2027 to March 2032, covering $1.51 billion of spending. That is about $260 million more than the standard path would allow. Orion cites ageing assets, fast growth in Selwyn and Christchurch, electrification and severe weather.
The Commerce Commission's draft decision is due in November 2026, with a final decision in March 2027 and any price changes from 1 April 2027.
Orion prices connections above about 300 kVA on demand rather than on energy use: a fixed charge, three demand-based charges and charges for any dedicated equipment (how demand charges work). The biggest lever is the control period demand charge:
At 2026 prices, every kilowatt you cut during control periods saves about $156 a year. You don't have to respond to every period, because the charge uses your average. In Orion's worked example (250 kVA of control-period demand, 525 kVA maximum demand), the control period charge is the largest line: $3,303.60 of an $8,891.52 month before GST.
Two other charges track your peak: nominated maximum demand, which only ratchets upward, and metered maximum demand, from your 12 highest weekday half-hours between 7am and 9pm. Both have a 300 kVA minimum.
MainPower's charges from 1 April 2026 are falling or unchanged, even though Transpower's charges for the network rose 34.1% to $18.2 million. MainPower covered the difference by lifting its rebate from $10 million to $13.94 million. For non-residential connections, that means 17% off the fixed daily charge, taken off before charges reach your retailer. MainPower is also removing a cross-subsidy under which commercial customers paid more to subsidise households.
This network peaks in summer, not winter. About 1,600 irrigation connections make up most of the summer peak, and the winter peak is roughly 40% of it. Rainfall drives the peak: with no new irrigation plant, it went from 156 MW in 2022-23 to 183 MW two years later because of a dry summer. As a co-operative, EA Networks gives connected consumers a discount based on the line charges they pay.
Alpine Energy is price-regulated like Orion. In April 2025 the Commerce Commission said a depreciation error had overstated Alpine's allowed revenue, overcharging customers $16.9 million between 2015 and 2024; Alpine agreed to refund current customers through account credits.
Network Waitaki also peaks in summer. Irrigation was the biggest driver as its maximum demand grew from 50 MW to 67 MW over the last decade, and made up about 45% of that peak in FY2026. Its prices rose about 7.0% on average for 2026/27, and it pays a $1 million customer discount.
Partly from industry replacing coal boilers; Orion also points to fast population growth in Selwyn and Christchurch. EECA's 2023 studies covered 80 large process-heat sites in North Canterbury and 33 in Mid-South Canterbury. They span dairy, meat, food processing, industrial and commercial users, and coal was their main fuel. In North Canterbury, EECA's lowest-cost pathway had electricity meeting 62% of those sites' needs by 2036. Gas in the South Island means LPG (why gas costs are rising), so electricity and biomass are the realistic replacements.
Manage My Bills reviews commercial connections nationwide (why location changes the price). If you run a Christchurch site near 300 kVA, send us your bills along with your control-period history.
Orion covers Christchurch, Selwyn and Banks Peninsula, between the Rakaia and Waimakariri rivers and out to Arthur's Pass. MainPower runs north of the Waimakariri to Kaikōura. EA Networks covers Mid Canterbury between the Rakaia and Rangitata rivers. Alpine Energy covers South Canterbury, including the Timaru, Mackenzie and Waimate districts, and Network Waitaki serves parts of South Canterbury along with North Otago.
For connections above about 300 kVA, your average load during 80 to 100 hours of signalled control periods between 1 May and 31 August sets a charge for the following year. At 2026 prices, each kilowatt you shed during those periods saves about $156 a year.
MainPower takes the discount off the fixed daily charge before it bills your retailer. From 1 April 2026 that's 17% for non-residential connections. MainPower notes that some retailers don't show the discount on their invoices.
Irrigation. EA Networks and Network Waitaki both peak in summer, when pumps run, rather than in winter like most networks. Network Waitaki is also moving to recover about 80% of its revenue through fixed, capacity-based charges.
Primary sources first. Every figure on this page comes from one of these, each with the date we last accessed it.
Last updated by the Manage My Bills Energy Team.
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