Appendix C Slide pack
under the Official Information Act 1982
Released
1982
Electricity Authority Advisor
Act
y
Group(s)
Information
Official
the
Update to the Board under
Released
• There are significant challenges facing the
1982
industry over the coming years.
Act
Shifting a gear:
• Regulation must move with rather than behind
transformation
the imperative
to keep up and
• Wel -informed regulatory decision-making
requires diverse ex
Information pertise, experience and
stay ahead
participation from regulated and interested
parties
Official
the • Now more than ever we need to work quickly,
using the collective intelligence and experience
of industry and interested parties.
under
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1982
• Provide greater regu
Act latory certainty
Stakeholder
o
less complexity, more transparency
Perception
• Strong future focus
o
agile and adapt to evolving environment
Information
Survey 2022
• Greater collaboration with industry
o
purposeful/meaningful engagement
Official
• Increased pragmatism
the
o
real world as opposed to overly theoretical
• Build capacity and capability
under
o
amount and experience of resource
Released
3
One part of the
The Authority is committed to improving its stakeholder
engagement including how we can be
1982 more transparent
Authority’s
and engaging during our decision–making processes.
Act
In 2023 we have:
commitment to
• launched a new website to make information easy to
access
engagement
• published our consultation calendar
Information
• re-established quarterly updates
• engaged more and in different ways
• put in
Official place an annual calendar of engagements for
the Board and leadership team
the Establishing the form and function of the Advisory
Group is another critical next step.
under
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4
The Electricity Industry Act 2010 Section 20(1) requires the
Authority to have a security and reliability council
1982
Advisory
Section 21(1) requires the Authority to have 1 or more
Act
other advisory groups to provide independent advice to the
groups –
Authority on the development of the Code and on market
facilitation.
finding the
In setting up for the future, we want to:
Information
• Enable the Electricity Authority to work more closely and
best fit for
transparently with the sector and consumers.
• Invite an advisory group to participate early and often on a
Official
pre-defined work programme
the future
the •Cover a wide range of topics across technical areas,
consumer interest and future perspectives.
under
Released
5
1982
In December 2022 the Board agreed to a review of the
Consultation
Consultation charter, Code am
Act endment process and new
advisory group.
recap: advisory
Proposed the Electricity Authority Advisory Group with three
options to consider:
group options
Option one
Information
A small core group that co-opts other expertise
Option two
Official
A ful -size group that can set up smaller working groups of
interested members
the
Option three
A large member pool with a stronger focus on breakout
under
groups of members interested in individual subjects
Released
6
• Broadly there was support for a review of the advisory
groups –
but no clear option selecte
1982
d
• Key themes: expectations of the future advisory group
Act
Outcomes
• the ability to move quicker
• a clear purpose and form
from
• a forward view of what’s coming up
• engage early before ideas are fully formed
Information
consultation
• consultation processes to be transparent and
streamlined
• the ability to progress proposals discussed with
Official
process
advisory groups
the • balanced representation (including consumers)
• proper support for advisory group processes
under • Comments the Authority should have talked to industry
and interested parties before forming the view in the
consultation paper
Released
7
1982
Key themes: expectations of the future advisory group
Key
Act
• the ability to move quicker
themes
• a clear purpose and form
• a forward view of what’s coming up
• engage early before ideas are ful y formed
• consultation process
Information es to be transparent and
streamlined
• the ability to progress proposals discussed with
advisory groups
Official
• balanced representation (including consumers)
•
the proper support for advisory group processes
under
Released
8
1982
In setting up the new Electricity Authority
Working
Advisory Group(s) we w
Act ant to:
• Find a new way of setting up the advisory
together to
group to enable the Electricity Authority to work
more closely and transparently with the sector
Information
design the
and consumers.
• Test early thinking and workability before
form and
test
Official ing more broadly
the • Cover a wide range of topics across technical
function…
areas, consumer interest and future
perspectives.
under
Released
9
Facilitated workshops 1982
…and
• The Authority commissioned M
Act artinJenkins to progress
this work.
trialing a
• Their proposal was to trial a different engagement
approach and workshop how a facilitated advisory group
different
may operate in the future.
Information
• Two facilitated workshops with representatives from
engagement
industry and consumer groups.
Official
approach
• The first workshop was held on 6 September with twenty-
the one attendees representing a cross section of the sector,
including consumer interest stakeholders.
under
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10
Unpacking form and function
1982
Workshop
Act
• The focus of this first workshop was to:
one
⁻ Share feedback from the Electricity Authority’s recent
consultation on advisory groups
⁻ Unpack some of the key areas of concern and broader
issuesInformation
⁻ Workshop options for the purpose and ways of working of a
new advisory group to support the Authority’s work on the
transformation , as well as stakeholders’ expectations for
Official
the Authority to engage more and keep up with the pace of
the change.
• Participation in the workshop was high with most
under
attendees contributing to discussions and engaging on the
issues at hand.
Released
11
Themes that emerged indicated areas of commonality but also
tension
1982
Key themes
•
Broad support for a review of the advisory groups
Act
from first
•
The importance of the advisory group bringing independent thinking
and advice
•
Diversity of membership is important, and it must include the
workshop
consumer voice
•
Early involvement is crit
Information ical
•
The ability to provide advice at pace is important
•
There is a balance to achieve between technical expertise not being
lost an
Official d consumer voice being valued
•
The ability to bring ideas and topics to the forum would be valued
the • A more flexible approach using sub-groups to work on different
topics could be useful
under
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Seeking broad agreement
1982
Act
• The second workshop took place on Thursday 12 October
with the participants of the first workshop.
Workshop two
• The purpose of this second workshop was to distil the
discussion of the firs
Information t working group and seek broad
understanding and agreement on a proposed form and
function of the new advisory group.
Official
• Helping us move the process forward and confirm next
the steps in terms of establishing the new advisory group.
under
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• Provide a diverse range of independent input
and advice to the regulator.
1982
Act
Agreement on
• Provide advice early and often on key pieces of
work that are part of the Authority’s work
what the new
programme
advisory group
• Test practical implic
Information ations of regulatory
will do…
decisions for consumers and stakeholders
before consultation or decision-making
includi
Official ng:
the
• helping to understand the problem
• test early options thinking
under
• workability and practicalities of
implementation
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Agreement on what the advisory group was
not
1982
Act
• The advisory group won’t be responsible for
determining the Electricity Authority’s work
programme
And what it
Information
• It is not a decision-making body and consensus
won’t….
won’t be required – independent thinking and
perspectives will be
Official
the • Advisory groupings would not be involved when
rapid action is required or short turnaround piece of
advice
under
• Commissioning external advice or opinions
Released
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Diverse membership 1982
Membership
• Independent facilitation
Act
• Membership wil take a more flexible approach with not all
people needing to participate in all activities.
• Members need to represent their part of the sector and/or
Information
have system-level perspectives of customer experiences
and needs.
Official
• Individual membership wil refresh over time to ensure
fresh perspectives.
the
• Membership terms would be three years with rol ing
under
expiry.
• There wil be a formal agreement to participate with clear
terms of reference
Released
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• The group wil represent a
diverse range of views
1982
across the supply chain including consumer
perspectives
Act
Agreeing
• There wil be
independent facilitation to ensure all
form and
voices are heard
Information
function
• Six-monthly meetings to
bring the full group
together and review how things have gone the prior
six months, share the forward work programme, plan
what w
Official ork is required in the upcoming months
the •
Flexible sub-groups wil be formed to work on
specific items so people can work on areas of
under
interest and in time they have available
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Categories and membership
Purpose
requirements
1982
Six-month review of work
• Half yearly meetings to review working together over the
programme
past six months
• Understand the work programme coming up for next six
Act
• All members invited to attend
months
(total group number is 25)
• Plan what work wil be undertaken as a result and what sub-
groups will be formed
Timing and
Technical working group
• Some topics will call for a technical sub-group to be formed.
These wil be determined at the six-monthly meetings.
frequency
Sub-groups to work on specific
• Topics are identified through the six-monthly planning
projects
p
Information rocess
• Members can nominate if this is an area of interest and if
• Members self-selected based
they have time to dedicate to providing advice and input
on the topic and expertise
required. (minimum of 6
required)
Official
Ad
the -hoc topics
• Topics that come up out of cycle from the work programme
• Members invited to a two-step process to provide rapid
• Members self-self based on
input.
availability (minimum 6
required)
under
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1982
Voices of concern – three areas debated:
• The topic of represent
Act ation vs independence
Three points of
• Consumer voice (and how you support or make it
easier for smaller organisations to participate)
contention
• The tension between confidentiality (what people
can share if they h
Information ave participated in the group) and
transparency (what you wil share with people who
have not been part of the group – including
Official
agendas, minutes and decisions)
the
under
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s18(d)
82
Next steps
In
s18(d)
under th
Released
20
1982
Act
Questions?
Information
Official
the
under
Released
Document Outline
