Public consultation

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 10, Issue 468, 12 January 1993, Page 1

Public consultation

Five trustees have been named to represent the community on the customer trust that will own the shares in King Country Energy Limited when it takes over from the King Country Electric Power Board in April - subject to Ministerial approval of the draft establishment plan. Two of them are existing interim trustees - chairperson Ian Strachan, from Ohakune, and June Baker, of Taumarunui. The new trustees are Archie Taiaroa and Jeremy Stubbs, of T aumarunui and Brian Gurney, of Turangi. King Country Energy chairperson Ken Street says the pre-selection of trustees was made by personnel consultants Deloittes, but the final appointments were made by the board. He said the trustees chosen reflect the need to have a variety of viewpoints represented. One of the five, to be decided by lot or mutual

agreement, is to retire after one year, while two more will be required to retire on April 1, 1995 and the final pair on April 1, 1996. All will be eligible for re-election. Trustee elections will be held by postal vote in March each year.

King Country Energy's customers can be sure they'll always know what is happening in respect of ownership of their new power company. A formal public consultation procedure has been included in the deed for the proposed King Country Energy Customer Trust that spells out clearly what can be expected. The consultation process will be invoked when the trustees carry out a review of ownership which must be done within three years, or if it is intended to increase Turn to page 3

Energy board plans proceed

From page 1 the share capital of King Country Energy by more than 50 per cent. The process calls for the proposals to be put before the trustees first, then publicly advertised. Members of the public

will then be given between one and three months to make a submission on the proposals, with opportunity to be heard by the trustees. All hearings of submissions are to be held in public and copies of all

written submissions will be available to the public. The process also insists that the final decision on any such proposal is made at a meeting of the trustees that is open to the public.

Preparing a draft establishment plan and carrying out the necessary public consultation processes associated with it will cost King Country Energy customers around $60,000. Deputy chairperson Gordon Gower told the December board meeting that it was a cost "put, upon the board" and one j that the customers wilL| have to foot the bill for. ^ But chairperson Ken Street said the board's customers appear to have got off lightly in the process, with boards like Waitemata already having spent $300,000 on publicising its plan. "We, at least, were spared the cost of a $12,000 poll that we thought we were going to be obliged to carry out." Director Tony Palmer said the costs associated with such an exercise were not relative to size. King Country Energy kept its costs down by joining a 21 -board consortium which developed the basic legal documents on a joint basis.