Power for Christchurch

Meridian Energy won the contract after a competitive tender process. The agreement is for a year, with further rights of renewal at the Council’s discretion.

The Council’s negotiating team comprised Merv Altments, inventory manager; Roger Lancaster, senior purchasing officer; Karilyn Shutt, solicitor; Richard Moylan, electrical engineer; Leonid Itskovich, energy manager, and Bill Campbell, purchasing officer.

Merv Altments says Meridian is the only power retail company with a head office in Christchurch but which also has all its generating capacity in the South Island.

Council strategy and resources committee chairman David Close says the agreement is satisfactory. The total cost is equivalent to "what we were paying two years ago and significantly less than the indicative cost offered to us by our previous supplier".

He says the agreement will help the Council to keep the rates lower than any major New Zealand city.