NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE

12 DECEMBER

(Minister/Member in Charge Shown in Parenthesis)

Private Savings Banks (Transfer of Undertakings) Bill (Hon. Ruth Richardson)
Referred to Select Committee
Finance and Expenditure

Summary of Bills Introduced

Industry Training

This bill provides for the funding of industry training organisations, and for the payment by persons engaged in industries of levies providing funds for recognised organisations administering the delivery of industry-based training in those industries.

The bill seeks to encourage and improve industry-based training, and provide for the administration of approved programmes of industry-based training and training arrangements in the nature of apprenticeships. The bill also aims to provide for the protection of people receiving industry-based training.

The Technicians Training Act 1967 and the Apprenticeship Act 1983 are repealed and the bill provides for the continued administration of contracts under those Acts.

Energy Sector Reform

This bill effects major reforms in the electricity and gas industries.

The principal features of the bill are as follows:

(a) Electric Power Boards are to be restructured. An Electric Power Trust will be established in respect of each Board, and the Board and the Trust will be required to form an electricity company in which the shareholders are the trustees of the Trust. The undertaking of the Board will then be vested in the electricity company, and the Board dissolved. Special provision is made in respect of the Waikato Electricity Authority:

(b) The Local Government Act 1974 is amended to require local authorities to establish energy companies in which the shareholder is the local authority. The local authority will be required to transfer its electricity undertaking, and any gas undertaking, to the energy company. Provision is made for two or more local authorities to transfer their respective energy undertakings to one energy company in which the shareholdings are the local authorities so transferring their energy undertakings.

(c) Provision is made for the holding of polls in relation to the ownership of the assets of Electric Power Boards and of local authority energy undertakings. An Electric Power Trust will be required to hold a poll if directed to do so by Order in Council, or if five percent or more of the consumers of the associated electricity company demand that a poll be held. The result of a poll will be binding:

(d) The Electricity Act 1968 is repealed, and new provisions enacted in relation to the regulation of the supply of electricity. These include—

(i) The abolition of licences to supply electricity and consequentially the obligation on licenseholders to supply (although a licensing regime is continued on a transitional basis until 1993 in relation to the supply of electricity to consumers with an annual consumption of not less than 0.5 gigawatt hours for the year ending 31 December 1991):

(ii) The abolition of subsidies for rural electrical reticulation (although subsidies already granted will be honoured):

(iii) The abolition of the right of electricity suppliers to enter private property to construct and maintain electrical works (other than works already in existence):

(iv) New provisions relating to access, by electricity suppliers, to the road reserve and level crossings:

(v) New provisions relating to the disclosure of information by electricity suppliers:

(vi) New provisions empowering the making of regulations imposing price restraint in relation to electricity conveyed or supplied to domestic premises:

(e) The Electric Linesmen Act 1959 and the Electrical Registration Act 1979 are repealed, and new provisions enacted relating to the registration of electrical workers and the carrying out of electrical work. These include—

(i) The establishment of an Electrical Workers Registration Board to be responsible for the registration and discipline of electrical workers:

(ii) Provision for the issuing of licences to enable non-registered employees of approved organisations to do electrical work:

(iii) Greater scope for non-registered persons to do electrical work:

(iv) Provisions for registered persons carrying out electrical work to test and certify their own work, with provision for random inspections to be carried out under the supervision of the Electrical Workers Registration Board:

(f) The Gas Act 1982 is repealed, and new provisions enacted in relation to the regulation of the supply of gas. These are similar to provisions for electricity listed under (d) (i), (iii), (iv), and (v) above.

(g) The Plumbers, Gasfitters, and Drainlayers Act 1976 is amended with respect to gasfitting. These amendments include—

(i) Provision for the registration and discipline of gas inspectors:

(ii) The imposition, on the Plumbers, Gasfitters, and Drainlayers Board, of the responsibility to ensure the ongoing professional competence of registered persons undertaking gasfitting.

This section also contains similar provisions listed under (e) (ii), (iii), and (iv).

(h) The State-Owned Enterprises Act 1986 is amended to provide for the Southland Electric Power Supply to become a State owned enterprise.