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About us

The Lines Company is proud to keep over 18,000 customers connected to electricity throughout the King Country, Ruapehu and Central Plateau.

TLC

We supply electricity to homes and businesses across the network.

OUR BASE

Our head office is in Te Kūiti and we have operational depots in Taumarunui, Tūrangi and Ohakune. We have around 140 staff working across our region, with the majority in the field to maintain our lines.

We are a limited liability company, with a board of directors appointed by our community trust, Waitomo Energy Services Customer Trust. Our business operates in a regulated environment where revenue is controlled by the Commerce Commission.

KEY FACTS

  • We’ve around 18,000 customers and 24,000 connection points.
  • Our network covers an area of 13,700 square km. That’s bigger than the countries of Vanuatu and Montenegro.
  • 4,500km of power lines — longer than a return trip from Auckland to Sydney.
  • Eight supply points; 35,000 power poles; 27 substations; 5000+ transformers.
  • Over 140 people have jobs with us.
  • Around 80% of our team are locals living on the network.
  • Every dollar we spend brings around $3.40 back into the local economy.
  • We supply around 369 Gigawatt of power per year — the equivalent of supplying 46,000 average New Zealand households.

WESCT

We’re 100% owned by the Waitomo Energy Services Customer Trust.

We’re here for the community

We were formed in April 1999 following the Government’s electricity industry reforms. We’re wholly owned by the Waitomo Energy Services Customer Trust on behalf of its beneficiaries. The Trust works directly with our Board of Directors to negotiate and set the company’s direction through a Statement of Corporate Intent.

Beneficiaries

Only our active customers who live within the Trust’s legal boundaries are eligible to be beneficiaries. WESCT has over 10,000 beneficiaries, primarily residing in or around Te Kūiti, Ōtorohanga, Piopio, Mangakino, and Mōkau. Beneficiaries receive a credit on their retail bill at specific times throughout the year, which shows as a TLC discount.

Governance

WESCT has six trustees elected by the Trust’s beneficiaries. The trustees hold terms for four years. The elections are staggered for continuity, so the Trust does not simultaneously have elections for all trustees. The next election is in September 2026 for three Trustees, followed by an election in September 2028 for three Trustees.

The WESCT Trust meets monthly and usually holds its annual meeting in October.