Commerce Commission stories
Waimakariri ratepayers could face nearly $500,000 in annual audit costs, as the mayor says the money is being diverted from core services.
More than a fifth of Wellington region accounts are in arrears, adding pressure on Tiaki Wai as second bills go out next month.
Councils face around $50 billion of water upgrades over the next decade, as ring-fenced funding finally tackles decades of neglect.
Residents face higher Wellington water bills after the Commerce Commission said Tiaki Wai's costs still justify rises and no cap is needed now.
Wellington households face mounting pressure as fixing ageing pipes could add more than $80,000 to each ratepayer over 25 years.
Consumers are still being hit by hefty card surcharges as retailers say lower interchange fees are hard to track and not yet filtering through.
Households could get cheaper, more flexible power deals as National proposes new rules to boost competition and rein in network charges.
Kiwi shoppers could soon be spared paywave fees, with support growing for a New Zealand ban after Australia's new rules took effect on Thursday.
Households could get better solar export prices under ACT's plan to widen electricity competition and let private firms build grid links.
Existing ratepayers could be spared higher bills as councils prepare to shift more of the cost of new housing infrastructure onto developers from 2029.
Rising electrification demand is driving a bigger build-out of New Zealand's grid, with approved projects set to lift capital spending further.
Households could face higher bills unless new water entities lift delivery from councils' 60 to 80 per cent record and prove their costs.
Customers could see faster upgrades and lower duplication costs as regulators weigh a joint mobile network venture that may reshape New Zealand telecoms.
Community reports from Golden Bay suggest backup towers alone may not guarantee reliable 111 access when a fibre route fails.
Canterbury households could face higher power bills as regulators test whether Orion's NZD $1.51 billion network spend is justified.
The regulator's expanded remit comes as New Zealand moves to deepen capital markets and tighten oversight of consumer credit.
Retailers could save about $40 million a year if lower limits on company card interchange fees are adopted, easing checkout costs.
Pressure from regulators and Google is putting firms at risk of hefty penalties if they screen out unhappy customers before asking for public reviews.
Open banking in New Zealand is set to expose weakly secured AI tools to live client financial data, raising breach and compliance risks.
Banks and advisers face a bigger security test as open banking will let more AI tools handle live client data from mid-2026.
