MEUG represents 13 major electricity users across various sectors in New Zealand, including dairy manufacturing, supermarkets, steel production, cold storage, food processing, packaging, and web services.
With MEUG’s advanced understanding of how affordable and reliable electricity supply uniquely impacts large businesses, MEUG provides a strong voice for major users across diverse industries.
As a trade association, MEUG plays a crucial role in supporting and advancing the interests of our members by providing a range of services, from advocacy and networking to cost-saving initiatives. Some of the benefits and services our members enjoy include:
Advocacy, representation and reputation:
Issue and risk management
Networking opportunities:
Access to information and intelligence
Amazon Web Services is owned by the US company Amazon. It provides comprehensive cloud platforms to public sector customers across government, education, nonprofit, and healthcare sectors.
In 2023, Amazon Web Services announced its $7.5 billion investment in its new Auckland cloud region data centre, which opened in September 2025.
The continuation of existing operations, as well as the successful operation of the new data centre, depends on secure, affordable, and reliable electricity.
Established in 1984, ANZCO Foods is one of New Zealand’s largest exporters of high-quality beef and lamb, shipping to over 80 countries.
With 10 processing and food manufacturing facilities across New Zealand, ANZCO Foods employs around 3,000 team members across a fully integrated supply chain, from farm to plate.
Fair and competitive electricity prices are critical for ANZCO Foods to ensure it can compete, grow, and continue creating jobs in New Zealand.
Daiken New Zealand manufactures premium MDF products renowned for superior colour, consistency and quality. Daiken operates plants in Rangiora, Canterbury and Mataura in Southland.
Operating its energy-intensive machinery 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, Daiken’s plants rely on a secure and efficient electricity supply to support their continuous thermo-mechanical production processes.
Founded in 2020, Datagrid is a sustainable data centre technology company headquartered in Southland. Datagrid is developing a $3.5 billion sustainable AI data centre park in Makarewa, which will be New Zealand’s first hyperscale facility for AI training.
Datagrid is also developing the Tasman Ring Network, a trans-Tasman subsea cable that would provide direct international connectivity to the South Island for the first time, as well as increasing New Zealand’s internet capacity and resilience.
Datagrid’s projects will enable substantial economic growth and job creation for New Zealand. As a significant electricity user, reliable, affordable, and renewable energy will be critical for Datagrid’s operations and global competitiveness.
A farmer-owned co-operative, Fonterra is one of the largest dairy manufacturers globally. Sending products to over 130 countries, Fonterra represents about a quarter of New Zealand’s total exports.
Kiwi farmers provide over 14 billion litres of milk to the co-op each year, which is processed at Fonterra’s 28 manufacturing sites. Throughout these sites, Fonterra is actively investing in the electrification of its manufacturing operations, choosing low-carbon energy solutions such as electric boilers.
As Fonterra is a significant user of electricity, security of energy supply, efficient pricing, and environmental footprint are crucial to supporting the long-term sustainability of the business.
New Zealand Steel is the country's sole producer of flat-rolled steel products used in building, construction, manufacturing, and agriculture.
Established in the 1960s, New Zealand Steel operates a fully integrated steel mill at Glenbrook near Auckland. With the use of locally sourced iron sand, New Zealand Steel makes about 670,000 tonnes of steel a year.
Steelmaking is an energy-intensive process, and New Zealand Steel’s integrated operations depend on secure and affordable electricity to ensure efficiency, competitiveness, and sustainability.
As part of the move to lower carbon production and reduce emissions, New Zealand Steel will integrate an electric arc furnace into its steelmaking operations in early 2026. The Electric Arc Furnace will halve coal use and is expected to remove up to a megaton of GHG emissions annually.
OceanaGold is a Canada-based gold and copper producer that operates four producing mines – including two in New Zealand: the Macraes operation in Otago and the Waihi operation in the Coromandel.
Since 2021, the company has purchased 100 per cent renewable electricity for its New Zealand operations and is investing in energy efficiency and electrification projects. These include New Zealand’s largest electric hydraulic excavator and an electric furnace, which together reduce emissions, improve safety, and increase efficiency.
As a significant electricity user, access to reliable, affordable, and renewable energy is central to OceanaGold’s decarbonisation and long-term sustainability goals.
OJI Fibre Solutions is one of Australasia’s leading pulp, paper, and wood-fibre-based packaging manufacturers.
Previously known as Carter Holt Harvey, Oji Fibre Solutions has five manufacturing sites and nine distribution centres across New Zealand. Operations include mills at Kawerau and Tokoroa, and a wastepaper recovery and recycling service.
Oji Fibre Solutions relies on an affordable and reliable electricity supply to continue delivering pulp, paper, and wood-fibre-based packing solutions to customers nationwide.
Pan Pac Forest Products is the largest forestry grower in Hawke’s Bay, with a total forest area of approximately 35,000 hectares. For over 50 years, Pan Pac Forest Products has been growing, processing, and delivering quality products to international markets.
Pan Pac Forest Products is the largest producer of appearance grade lumber in New Zealand, produces up to 850 tonnes of pulp daily, and makes up to 450,000 tonnes of wood chip a year.
As a major energy user, Pan Pac’s ability to secure affordable energy is critical to sustaining operations and remaining competitive on the global stage.
First founded in New Zealand in 1980, Seeka operates a fully integrated orchard-to-market service across New Zealand and Australia, and is the largest producer of Kiwifruit in both countries. Seeka is also a large provider of supply chain services, delivering produce globally.
Seeka operates cool stores across New Zealand; about 43 million trays of kiwifruit pass through their cool stores every year.
Kiwifruit processing and maintaining fruit in cool stores at a sufficient temperature are energy-intensive tasks, making affordable and reliable electricity a crucial component for the continued success of Seeka.
Visy is a multinational company specialising in packaging, recycling, and logistics. In 2024, Visy produced over 700 million glass bottles and jars for some of New Zealand’s most iconic food and beverage brands.
Visy operates packaging and remanufacturing facilities nationwide, including in Auckland, Hamilton, Napier, Christchurch, and Wellington.
Reliable and affordable energy is essential to Visy’s operations in New Zealand, supporting local communities and delivering packaging to ensure the continued global success of the food and beverage industry.
Whakatane Mill provides paperboard solutions to customers locally and internationally. Established in 1939, Whakatane Mill has capacity to produce up to 200,000 tonnes of premium paperboard each year.
Whakatane Mill is a significant contributor to the local economy and the largest private employer in the area, with over 170 employees.
Recently, Whakatane Mill partnered with EECA to reduce its energy usage, including moving away from coal boilers to produce heat. In 2023 WML invested over $100M in projects to increase production output and improve energy efficiency. Operating 7 days a week, 24 hours per day, Whakatane Mill is an energy-intensive operation that relies on having reliable access to affordable electricity.
Woolworths is one of New Zealand's most trusted supermarkets, with 185 stores nationwide and employing around 20,000 team members.
Ensuring a steady supply of groceries to communities nationwide requires a secure and reliable electricity supply. Woolworths NZ is currently working towards its Scope 2 emission reduction goals through the electrification of its processes, including the introduction of electric trucks for its online shopping service, the use of solar panels to generate energy, and the installation of an energy management system to monitor store energy use.
MEUG works closely with the Consumer New Zealand helping it to represent the interests of consumers in the electricity sector, a sector which is by its very nature is complicated and multifaceted – MEUG’s ability to understand the technical details benefits all electricity consumers in New Zealand
Sue Chetwin, Chief Executive, Consumer NZ