Hawke’s Bay Power Consumers’ Trust (HBPCT) owns Unison Networks on behalf of the power consumers of Hawke’s Bay. Our role is to proudly protect your investment in Unison. You can read more about the history of HBPCT below.

The Trust is made up of five elected Trustees, who act on behalf of all electricity consumers connected to Unison’s electricity network in Napier and Hastings. Meet the Trustees here; learn about our coverage area here.

HBPCT was established following the passing of the Energy Companies Act in 1992, which deregulated New Zealand’s electricity industry, permitting the formation of energy retailers and requiring regional electric power boards, or municipal electricity departments, to become commercial entities.

The Hawke’s Bay Electric Power Board became a commercial entity – Hawke’s Bay Power Distribution Ltd – with a retail subsidiary, Hawke’s Bay Power. To ensure consumers retained ownership of the retail and distribution of electricity, HBPCT was established in 1993, and all shares in Hawke’s Bay Power Distribution vested in the Trust, on behalf of power consumers.

In 1998,  to comply with legislation, the retail business of the company was sold to Contact Energy. In 2003, Hawke’s Bay Network changed its name to Unison Networks.

Today, Unison Networks is responsible for the distribution of electricity in Napier and Hastings, as well as in Taupō and Rotorua. It is one of 27 distribution companies in New Zealand  and has more than 15 electricity retailers operating on its network. Over the years the Unison Group has grown to include other related businesses. You can learn more about Unison and its performance below.

Unison Networks (Unison) is a well-regarded and high performing company. With a vision to lead a sustainable energy future, they have the best interests of the community at the heart of everything they do.

Established in June 1924 as Hawke’s Bay Electric Power Board, today Unison is an electricity network company serving customers in Hawke’s Bay, Taupō, and Rotorua. In 2024 Unison is the fifth largest electricity distributor in New Zealand, supplying electricity to nearly 117,000 customers across their regions. It has around 10,000km of power lines, more than 500 employees, and more than $800m of electricity assets. Since 1998 more than $250 million has been distributed to the beneficiaries of the Hawke’s Bay Power Consumers’ Trust via their dividend.

Unison Group, comprising over 1,000 employees spread across New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, and Indonesia, offers a comprehensive range of services including electrical, civil, and vegetation contracting, alongside manufacturing electrical products for markets in New Zealand, Australia, the Pacific, the United Kingdom, Indonesia, and Singapore. Additionally, the group operates a captive insurance company.

Unison’s electricity network business operates under the regulation of the Commerce Commission, ensuring consumer protection. As Hawke’s Bay has grown, so has Unison. A key focus of HBPCT and Unison has been diversification, achieved by investing in and nurturing complementary businesses. These ventures create additional revenue streams outside of the electricity line services that are subject to economic regulation. In FY23, 80% of Unison’s EBIT (earnings before interest and tax) stemmed from regulated sources, with the remaining 20% originating from its diversified ventures. The earnings from Unison’s diversified portfolio will supplement its regulated income, facilitating network investments and contributing to the growth of the HBPCT annual dividend paid to consumers. You can learn more about Unison’s history click here.

Unison growth in revenue, net assets and dividends paid to HBPCT over time:

Year	Revenue	Net Assets	Dividend to HBPCT
	$m	$m	$m
2023	320	510	15.8
2022	264	499	15.8
2021	243	464	15.8
2020	254	446	15.8
2019	249	432	15.4
2018	249	416	12.7
2017	225	392	9.7
2016	214	359	9.6
2015	210	343	9.4
2014	192	327	9.2