2024 is election year for the HB Power Consumers Trust, so the Trust is encouraging candidates to come forward.
“We encourage any power consumer with a strong desire to serve their community to throw their hat in the ring and stand as a candidate in the October election,” says current Trust Chair Diana Kirton.
Kirton herself is standing down after 19 years on the Trust, meaning at least one of the five seats is guaranteed to a non-incumbent.
The Trust is charged with monitoring the performance of Unison and its board. Its media release lists as the first “key task” of the Trust: “Act in the best interests of power consumers”. Some, including BayBuzz, have questioned the Trust’s recent handling of its responsibilities. Conceivably the election brings a new day.
But we’ll leave that for a later date.
Candidates must be on the parliamentary roll at an address within the Trust district and a consumer in the Unison lines network.
Nominations opened 1 July and close 31 July. The voting period runs from 10 September to 1 October, with results announced on 10 October.
Their “key task” is really a deal more specific than that. The Trust Deed mandates that they . . . receive shares in the “company”, and to “hold such shares on trust for the benefit of the consumers”. They also have a legal duty, as set out in the Trusts Act 2019, to . . “deal with trust property and act for the benefit of beneficiaries following the terms of the trust deed.”
They have never disclosed, or even indicated, the value of the “trust property”, i.e. the real value of the shares that they hold on behalf of the Consumers.
Where is the evidence that they are complying with these mandatory duties?
Hopefully a time for a change? With some good NEW community sprited members who will serve. True to Trust’s / Trustees obligations… to all of its 60,000 plus Hawkes Bay “electricty consumers” Best Interests!