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NZ Herald
29-07-2025
- General
- NZ Herald
Top power company moves to stop disconnecting customers in hardship - Power to the People, part 3
'It was horrible. That's my family. Your blood runs through each other. It is hard to describe how it felt. 'I think most grandparents would die for their children or grandchildren, and it was painful to watch them go without. 'They were always sick. They had the flu all the time. It's hard to keep them warm, and they all slept in the same bed sometimes. 'It was sad when one of them would text me and go, 'Hi, Nan, we've got no power'. It embarrassed them.' They were on a joint plan where they could share credit, and the grandmother shared what she could, but often had to go without to do so. 'Everybody complained to me because my house was always cold. But it was always cold because I was trying to save money on power. 'A lot of people do this.' Disconnection fees 'punitive' Energy campaigners have condemned disconnections like these - and the fees power companies charge for them - as 'punitive and inappropriate' for an essential service like electricity. Their message seems to be having an effect. Last year, Contact Energy dropped disconnection fees after the Herald's Power to the People campaign and a petition by energy advocates Common Grace. Now Mercury Energy is moving towards dropping fees for non-payment from people in hardship. In response to questions on energy hardship from the Herald and Common Grace, it replied that it was only charging in cases of 'clear fraud' and had not disconnected a customer in hardship for non-payment since June last year. However the survey of power companies showed a majority still charged fees and said they would not stop disconnecting their customers for not paying their bills. The reasons behind keeping disconnections and fees included that it was a 'necessary approach' for some customers and there was a cost to providers to disconnect a customer. Campaigners and experts disagreed. University of Otago professor Kimberley O'Sullivan told the Herald disconnection fees were 'really problematic' and further hurt people in hardship. 'Non-payment often happens if a household experiences some stressor - say maybe someone in the house is unwell or gets hospitalised, the car needs fixing, someone loses work hours or a job, any of those things ... 'Even a household that was once fine can suddenly have a cascade where the bills start piling up and then they might be late with paying their electricity bill - which no one wants to pay late, because everyone needs electricity. 'Hopefully they can catch up, but if they can't, then they might get a disconnection notice, and if they still can't, they might be disconnected (now, thanks to the Consumer Care Obligations, at least there is a minimum process for the retailers to follow when this happens). Kimberley O'Sullivan, University of Otago, detailed the way people can fall into difficulties paying their bills and says the consequence of being disconnected hurts them further. Photo / University of Otago 'Once a household is disconnected, not only are they still trying to deal with whatever it was that put them into that situation in the first place, but the kicker is that there can be significant fees for disconnection and reconnection that need to be paid before they can switch the lights back on.' Consumer NZ's Powerswitch manager, Paul Fuge, agreed, saying disconnecting a vulnerable household that could not pay was disproportionate and harmful. 'Life can be tough. At different points, many of us may experience circumstances that make it difficult to maintain access to essential services,' Fuge said. 'These include job loss, illness, mental health struggles, financial stress, caregiving responsibilities, exposure to domestic violence, or challenges in securing stable housing and employment. 'Some households face even deeper, long-term hardship such as persistent poverty or severely limited incomes, which further compounds their vulnerability.' Fuge said having access to safe, reliable and affordable electricity was fundamental to people's health, wellbeing and ability to function in a modern society. 'Electricity is universally accepted as an essential service. 'Losing access has serious impacts, particularly for people with disabilities or health conditions who rely on electricity to sustain daily life,' he said. 'Providers of essential services must not place commercial interests above consumer safety and wellbeing. Electricity retailers, by choosing to operate in this space, accept a duty of care. If they are unwilling or unable to meet that responsibility, they should not be permitted to serve the market.' Fuge said retailers needed ways to recover unpaid bills. 'Of course, but cutting off an essential service to force payment from people who simply cannot afford it is both punitive and inappropriate'. Vulnerable households, who are already overrepresented among those having difficulty paying their bills, bear the brunt of disconnections. 'The consequences are real,' he said. 'Cold homes are a serious health risk, particularly for children and older people. Respiratory illness is a major public health burden in New Zealand, costing more than $7 billion annually and accounting for one in 10 hospital stays. 'People in the most deprived households are hospitalised for respiratory issues at three times the rate of those in better-off areas,' Fuge said. 'Consumer NZ strongly believes that using disconnection as a method of debt recovery is unsafe and must be phased out. The energy sector must move toward fairer, less harmful ways to prevent and manage debt.' Jake Lilley, from financial mentor charity Fincap, echoed O'Sullivan and Fuge, saying disconnecting a customer was a safety issue and should be avoided. Fincap's senior policy adviser, Jake Lilley, says disconnecting someone from their electricity is a safety issue. Photo / Fincap 'No one should be disconnected because they're unable to pay - and that's not currently what the regulations say. 'And disconnection fees, particularly where someone hasn't been able to pay, make the problem worse," Lilley said. He said the fees were often unlikely to be paid, and, if they were, it was usually through a loan. 'So they're just kicking the can down the road on the affordability issues. 'I do understand there would be some sort of cost to energy providers from others in the system. 'And that would vary depending on the type of meter. But regardless, what's the point? And really, when we look at it, it's an essential service. Would we expect people to be disconnected in the first place because they're unable to pay? And then they are facing further punishment that compounds the issue. Our concern is that it just lumps more debt.' Fuge, from Consumer, said any disconnection fees should reflect actual, reasonable costs to power companies. 'Our analysis of publicly listed fees shows significant variation across retailers,' Fuge said. 'Today, most disconnections are carried out remotely by meter providers, and the technical process is the same regardless of which retailer serves the property. We see no clear justification for the wide differences in what consumers are charged. Consumer NZ's Powerswitch manager, Paul Fuge, says if some retailers are waiving disconnection fees, others should be able to as well. Photo / Supplied 'With the widespread use of smart meters, disconnections and reconnections are now almost entirely done remotely and are largely automated. In most cases, there is no need to physically send someone to the property, as was required in the past. 'This means the actual cost to retailers for carrying out a disconnection or reconnection should be very low. 'Given this, it's difficult to see how high fees can be justified.' Fuge said retailers should not profit from disconnection fees and should not include general administration or debt recovery costs in fees. 'Disconnection and reconnection fees must relate only to the actual cost of the service provided,' he said. 'If some retailers are choosing to waive or significantly reduce these charges, it shows that the costs involved are not prohibitive, and that absorbing them is commercially feasible. This raises legitimate questions about whether the fees charged by others truly reflect the cost of service.' 'Fees reflect costs' - industry The Electricity Retailers' and Generators' Association, which represents Contact Energy, Genesis Energy, Manawa Energy, Mercury, Meridian Energy, and Nova Energy, said retailers did everything they could to avoid disconnecting customers and charging them fees. Chief executive Bridget Abernethy said disconnection was a last resort, and a household was typically only cut off if a retailer found the bill payer was not engaging. Abernethy pointed to Electricity Authority data showing the highest percentage of customers disconnected for more than 24 hours in any month was 0.038 (3.8 people for every 10,000 customers). 'Electricity Authority data demonstrates the industry's disconnection rates are very low. 'Disconnection for non-payment is a last resort, and Erganz members work with their customers to find solutions, including affordable payment options. Disconnections for non-payment typically occur only when a retailer is repeatedly unable to reach a customer despite their best efforts. 'It's a process that takes time and involves cost but, in line with the Consumer Care Obligations, disconnection fees do reflect actual costs.' Abernethy said customers facing difficulty paying for power should contact their retailer as soon as possible. 'Retailers have a range of ways they can help.' Bridget Abernethy, chief executive of the Electricity Retailers and Generators Association of New Zealand, says disconnections are a last resort and typically only done when a customer is not engaging. Photo / File Retailers acknowledged they were essential service providers and recognised this gave them a responsibility to support vulnerable customers, she said. She pointed to several options Erganz member companies had for people who had been disconnected and charged fees. 'Several options [include] setting up affordable payment plans, referrals to government, community and social services, including budgeting support, working with customers to ensure their credit rating is not impacted by debt, and providing information about initiatives such as Power Credits, the Winter Energy Payment or the EnergyMate programme,' Abernethy said. Responding to calls for disconnections to be legislated or regulated away, Abernethy said it already existed in the form of the Consumer Care Obligations. 'Erganz members were key contributors to the development of the Consumer Care Guidelines in 2008, which eventually became the Consumer Care Obligations, and have made significant contributions to improvements over the past decade,' Abernethy said. 'Erganz members are committed to delivering best-practice customer service, and in many cases will go beyond these minimum standards.' Kate Day, co-director of advocacy group Common Grace, put the question to each power company to ask whether they would stop disconnecting customers for non-payment this winter. Here are their answers: Contact said it did not charge disconnection or reconnection fees in cases of non-payment. Toast also does not charge disconnection or connection fees for non-payment. Neither do Globug nor Wise. Mercury said it charged fees in cases of 'clear fraud' only and said it had not disconnected any customers in hardship for non-payment since last June. Genesis Energy and Frank Energy said disconnections were a last resort and pointed to their 'proactive process to contact disconnected households and offer support'. 'Last year, we attempted 1948 calls. Genesis does not charge a bond for onboarding or commission on debt collection,' Genesis and its subsidiary said. Ecotricity, also owned by Genesis, said its fees 'reflect the genuine operational costs associated with managing disconnections and reconnections'. Meridian did not address its fees, only saying it had among the lowest disconnection rates in the industry, but also it was a last resort for customers who are not engaging. 'Disconnection affects only a very small proportion of customers - 0.017% of our total customer base in 2024 - but there remain customers for whom this is a necessary approach. 'We only use credit disconnection as a last resort for customers who refuse to engage with us around unpaid bills and/or mounting debt. When customers do engage, we support them to get back on track. In the event a customer finds themselves disconnected and then advises us that they are in hardship, we won't charge the fees.' Pulse Energy Alliance said its fees were a way to recover the cost of disconnections: 'Our focus is to engage early with customers who are experiencing issues paying their bills to work with the customer to avoid disconnection.' Nova Energy said it had not changed its position on fees; they were still charged. The company pointed to its 'long track record of benchmark low disconnections for non-payment'. Electric Kiwi said it would remove disconnection fees from one of its plans, but disconnections themselves were still a necessary last resort. 'We are preparing to remove disconnection fees from our most accessible, no-strings plan. However, disconnection remains a necessary last resort in very rare cases where we are unable to reach any resolution with a customer and they will not communicate with us.' Switch Utilities, owned by 2degrees, was still charging, but said it would waive fees or refund them 'if a customer indicates financial difficulty'. 'People default on payments for a range of reasons, not just hardship. If their non-payment is because of hardship, then we want to talk to them, so that we can work together to ensure they can stay connected,' Switch said. The Electricity Authority's public figures on companies' disconnection rates in the year to May showed social retailer Nau Mai Rā had the highest rate per 10,000 customers, followed by Pulse Energy Alliance and Switch Utilities. Ezra Hirawani, chief executive and co-founder of Nau Mai Rā, said the high rate reflected the fact that the company focused on providing power to the more vulnerable households. 'What we're dealing with is the higher-risk customers that the other retailers don't,' Hirawani told the Herald. He also said Nau Mai Rā only disconnected a customer (without charge) when the customer was not engaging, which he said was a way to prompt them to re-engage. 'Loudest debt collector gets paid' Lilley, from Fincap, said some power companies insisted they only disconnected customers who repeatedly ignored requests for payment. However, this was a problem financial mentors saw with many struggling clients and was almost an expected response from people in hardship. 'There's this sort of push that people are refusing to engage, but, I imagine in many contexts, people have financial problems with not just their power provider. And they're probably juggling a lot, just to try to get their financial affairs in order. 'It's quite normal for someone who's in a very stressed situation to put their head in the sand as a coping mechanism. 'Your loudest debt collector is the one that gets paid, that might be the argument, but it's not helping the underlying issues here.' Monday: As Kiwis battle rising electricity bills, campaigners call for change Tuesday: Could you get a cheaper plan for electricity? Most companies won't tell Wednesday: Major company moves to stop disconnecting customers in hardship Thursday: Why our biggest power companies should be broken up (and why they shouldn't)
Tokyo Weekender
14-07-2025
- Politics
- Tokyo Weekender
Why Japanese Leftists Are Using Melonpan to Mock Sanseito
A soft and fluffy sweet bread with a crispy cookie-like crust on top, melonpan is a popular snack in Japan. Not actually flavored with melon, it gets its name from the distinctive grid-like pattern on the crust. You'll find these sweet snacks in convenience stores and bakeries all over Japan, but are they safe to eat? Not according to Toshiaki Yoshino, a dentist, periodontist and leader of the political group Japan Seishinkai . At least, that was his view three years ago when he was delivering a speech ahead of the 2022 House of Councillors election as a member of the Sanseito Party. List of Contents: Melonpan Adopted by Communist Party To Mock Sanseito Sanseito's Anti-Wheat Policies Related Posts Melonpan Adopted by Communist Party To Mock Sanseito 'I've seen a lot of people die the next day after eating melonpan ,' said Yoshino. He left Sanseito the following year, citing differences in ideology. However, the video of that speech from the election campaign has recently resurfaced online, with the Communist Party using it to mock Sanseito . At a rally in Osaka on July 4, Communist Party leader Tomoko Tamura was handed a melonpan by her colleague. She held the sweet bread aloft while singing 'Power to the People' by John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band after criticizing Sanseito's anti-foreigner policies. Since then, melonpan has become the party's unofficial symbol, with supporters bringing them to rallies and l eft- w ing activists waving them in protest during Sanseito speeches. On July 10, Mizuho Umemura, who joined Sanseito in June, posted on X , 'Eating melonpan will kill you' is not the official stance of the party.' She added, 'We ask all citizens to be cautious of spreading misinformation.' The message was posted with a picture of Umemura with a melonpan in hand. In another post, she criticized the policies of other parties , such as the Constitutional Party of Japan, the Communist Party and the Japan Innovation Party, while asking why ' Sanseito's melonpan topic is getting so much attention?' This was followed by a n X Community Note, providing some background details. Image and logo: Wikimedia Sanseito's Anti-Wheat Policies One of Sanseito's key policies for the Upper House election is to promote food and health care without using chemicals. It feels the Japanese diet became too Westernized after the US-led Occupation. It has also been claimed that the party believes that wheat was introduced to this country after the war as a tool to poison the Japanese mind and body. Responding to Sanseito's reported anti-wheat policies, leader Sohei Kamiya said , 'You should look at the evidence and eat what suits your constitution. I don't think it's 100% a lie that 'wheat is bad for you,' but it's being exaggerated.' Sanseito is known for its controversial policies. It recently pledged to make terminally ill patients cover all medical expenses for their life-prolonging treatments. Related Posts Sanseito Leader Says 'Japanese First Approach Is Not Xenophobic' How Much Do You Really Known About Melon Pan? Shigeru Ishiba's Snap Election Backfires as LDP Loses Majority
Forbes
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
John Lennon Sends Multiple Singles Back To The Charts, Joining The Beatles
While The Beatles can almost always be found on at least one or two charts in the United Kingdom, the same can't be said for the group's individual members, though the four musicians — Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, George Harrison, and John Lennon — do manage to return from time to time. McCartney and Starr sometimes score new wins with brand new material, while Harrison and Lennon bounce back thanks to catalogs filled with successful albums and beloved singles. Lennon returns this time around with a pair of tracks as he blasts back onto multiple rankings in his home nation. This week in the U.K., Lennon's biggest hit is 'Power to the People.' The track is credited to John and Yoko as a duo, with their last names left off. Also featured is the Plastic Ono Band, as 'Power to the People' is a collaborative affair. That tune reenters a pair of rosters across the Atlantic. It blasts back onto the Official Vinyl Singles chart at No. 24, while simultaneously reappearing on the Official Physical Singles list at No. 27. At the same time, Lennon's solo cut 'Mind Games' also finds space once more on the Official Physical Singles chart. This time around, it appears at No. 78. 'Mind Games' and 'Power to the People' have experienced similar trajectories on these tallies. Both tunes have not yet reached double-digit frames on either ranking, and the two have peaked inside the top 10, but never reached No. 1. The Beatles are also doing well on the U.K. charts at the moment, but there's only a limited amount of crossover between the group's success and Lennon's, as the band and its member only share one tally this frame. The rock troupe doubles up on the Official Albums chart, as the compilation 1962–1966 joins a climbing 1967–1970. The band fills two spots on the Official Physical Singles list, as 'From Us to You' and 'I Want to Hold Your Hand' reenter that ranking at Nos. 53 and 74, respectively.
Forbes
27-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
John Lennon's Only Solo Concerts Have Suddenly Become Big Business
More than 50 years later, John Lennon's One-to-One concerts are suddenly big business, with a top 10 ... More EP and a successful new documentary in theaters. Former Beatle John Lennon (1940 - 1980) at his home, Tittenhurst Park, near Ascot, Berkshire, July 1971. (Photo by) Decades after they were first staged, John Lennon's One-to-One concerts are suddenly, and somewhat unexpectedly, having a major commercial moment. Held more than 50 years ago, the shows were hugely important at the time, both for the causes they supported and for what they represented in the musician's solo career. Now, after decades of fading into relative obscurity – as much as anything attached to a former Beatle can – they're back in the spotlight thanks to a pair of new releases. A new EP featuring recordings from the shows, titled Power to the People: Live at the One-to-One Concert, New York City, 1972, was released as part of Record Store Day earlier in April. The four-track set features songs recorded during those shows which were hand-selected by his own son, Sean Ono Lennon. Whole only pressed in limited quantities, the project became a quick bestseller. Power to the People debuted inside the top 10 on three charts in the United Kingdom last week. It's classified as a single due to its length, so it added to Lennon and Ono's total number of bestselling singles. For what was originally a charitable performance, the material is now proving to be a solid moneymaker more than 50 years later. Around the same time that the EP dropped, a new documentary about the couple and the concerts is finding its own success. One-to-One: John and Yoko is currently playing in theaters around the world, and it's already earned just under $600,000 at the box office, which is a notable figure for a theatrically-released documentary. The film is a true must-see for fans of Lennon and the Beatles, as it's packed with never-before-seen footage of the rocker and Ono, as well as intimate phone calls and plenty of shots from the performances, which the movie is built around – though it's not exactly a concert film. The One-to-One concerts took place on August 30, 1972, when Lennon played two back-to-back shows at Madison Square Garden. The shows were organized to benefit children with developmental disabilities at New York's Willowbrook School, which had just undergone a very public scandal – which Lennon and Ono saw play out on TV. He was joined by the Plastic Ono Band and a small slate of other performers, but the moment really belonged to him. Those two shows were the only full-length solo concerts he ever performed before his death. Despite his years on stage in front of thousands of people playing with The Beatles, Lennon was reportedly nervous to go it alone. These weren't just concerts—they were political statements. The performances doubled as a platform for Lennon and Ono's activism, with tracks like 'Imagine' and 'Give Peace a Chance' underscoring their lifelong message. The energy in the room, captured in amazing archival footage, reveals how deeply the couple believed in the cause, and how beloved they were by the audience in attendance. While the shows were impactful in their moment, they didn't initially spawn much in the way of commercial products. It wasn't until 1986 that a proper release of the shows arrived: Live in New York City, a full-length album made up of recordings from the second show. That effort peaked at No. 41 on the Billboard 200 and was eventually certified gold in the U.S., after moving half a million copies. Still, after that brief spotlight, the concerts once again faded into the background. Now, decades after the one live album produced from these shows, and even longer since they took place, the One-to-One concerts are earning some long overdue love. They were meaningful when they happened, and now they're suddenly generating real revenue. For a one-day fundraiser, the event's longevity is remarkable.
Forbes
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
John Lennon Charts A New Top 10 Single, 45 Years After His Death
John Lennon's Power to the People live EP debuts in the top 10 on three U.K. charts, earning the ... More rock, Yoko Ono and The Plastic Ono Band new smashes. 16th August 1966: John Lennon (1940 - 1980) of the Beatles, after making a formal apology for his controversial statement that the group were 'more popular than Jesus'. (Photo by Harry Benson/Express/Getty Images) Decades after his death, John Lennon is still collecting hit singles in the United Kingdom. If he's still doing so to this day, after so many decades have passed, he may never stop scoring new wins. The musician created an enormous amount of material during his lifetime, both on his own and as part of The Beatles… not to mention his many collaborations with his wife, Yoko Ono. That wealth of recordings – studio, live, demo, and otherwise — has turned into a near-bottomless well of releases that continue to attract interest from devoted fans and collectors. And with the help of repackagings, remasterings, and a steady flow of special releases, Lennon seems to reach the U.K. rankings with something 'new' with real regularity. Lennon, alongside Ono and the Plastic Ono Band, returns to the U.K. rankings this frame with a short but powerful collection that was released specifically for Record Store Day. Titled Power to the People – Live at the One-to-One Concert, New York City, 1972, the effort is officially shortened to Power to the People according to the Official Charts Company. It features four live performances recorded at Lennon's now-legendary One-to-One benefit shows, held on August 30, 1972, at Madison Square Garden. The event saw the rocker play to tens of thousands and raised more than $1 million for charity, and now, over half a century later, a small slice of that experience is available to own—pressed on eye-catching yellow vinyl. The EP is credited as a single due to its brief runtime, which helped it qualify for various singles-based tallies in the U.K., where it has quickly become a commercial hit. This week, Power to the People earns an impressive start on three U.K. charts, crashing inside the top 10 on all of them at the same time. The live EP launches at No. 5 on both the Official Physical Singles and Official Vinyl Singles charts. It also starts at No. 7 on the Official Singles Sales tally. Those strong debuts mean that Lennon, Ono, and the Plastic Ono Band — each of whom is officially credited — can all claim brand new top 10 hits in 2025. That's not something many artists can say more than 40 years after their passing. Side A of the limited-edition single includes 'Well Well Well' and 'Instant Karma! (We All Shine On),' while Side B features 'Cold Turkey' and the sprawling 'Don't Worry Kyoko (Mummy's Only Looking for a Hand in the Snow).' The project was produced by Sean Ono Lennon, the former Beatles' son. Perhaps the biggest draw when it comes to this set, though, is the historical significance of the recording itself. These performances come from the only full-length solo concerts Lennon ever performed after leaving The Beatles. Sadly, he didn't get to perform again, though he did spend many years creating new music after departing the band that made him a superstar.
