News & Updates

The Department for Prime Minister and Cabinet and the Ministry for the Environment proposed a topic for a Long Term Insights Briefing entitled 'Everyone plays a part: building New Zealand’s resilience in the context of global trends and our unique natural environment'. Rewiring Aotearoa's submission says energy security and resilience, critical infrastructure failing and commodity/energy price shocks are especially important for Aotearoa NZ’s resilience to future challenges, and farms can also play an important role.

The Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment opened consultation on a discussion document about amendments to the Electricity Safety Regulations to expand the permitted voltage range for electricity supply. Rewiring Aotearoa's submission believes changes are needed to prepare for the rapid adoption of customer energy resources, and electricity distribution companies need to be compelled to allow export limits to be increased.

Our ERP2 submission outlines what we think needs to be done to improve the Government's plan to reach our climate targets, electrify the Aotearoa New Zealand economy and build a fairer future energy system for New Zealanders that saves people money and does not leave anyone behind.

Rakiura / Stewart Island faces the highest electricity prices in New Zealand. Successive governments have funded report after report and numerous fly-in visits by Ministers have failed to change this situation for the local community. Rewiring Aotearoa believes the opportunity is to harness existing solar and battery technology to deliver significant cost-of-living savings and reduced emissions at scale via electrification on Stewart Island right now. With financed solar and batteries, electricity usage costs for residents could be halved without delay. Rewiring Aotearoa has been engaging with the local community, who have been sending us their power bills. On Saturday 27th April some of the Rewiring team visited Stewart Island (including Mike Rewi who has strong whakapapa to Stewart Island). What we are hearing from this community is many locals fear the proposals and the likely “preferred option” will be focused on replacing current diesel generators, not on reducing the cost of energy for consumers. Our proposal outlines Rewiring Aotearoa’s pitch for an alternative approach to develop a community-led energy solution for the Island.

Overall, we encourage the Commission to think beyond competition merely as a driver for innovation, to consider the outcomes from innovation for the long term benefit for New Zealanders. Rewiring Aotearoa believes one such outcome from market innovation is supporting the electrification opportunity for Aotearoa New Zealand. The Commission has the opportunity to play an active role in driving this not just through the energy market, but also through the personal banking market. It is important that these functions are not seen in isolation, but as a system, to better realise the Commission's role in delivering on NZ’s emissions reduction plan, and 2050 Nationally Determined Contribution.

18 March 2024: New Zealand is one of the first places in the world where electric appliances and vehicles are now more affordable than their fossil fuel equivalents. A new report has shown that, on average, homes currently using gas appliances and petrol vehicles could save thousands every year if they went electric and got their electricity from a combination of rooftop solar, home battery and New Zealand’s already highly renewable grid.

In this future, consumer infrastructure needs to compete on a level playing field with traditional infrastructure – if a $10,000 battery on a consumer’s premises can provide the same service as a $20,000 supply-side asset (a network or generation investment), the consumer’s asset should be selected for the service. However, today there is a systemic bias towards traditional infrastructure largely because it is seen as significantly more ‘dependable’. There are a variety of historical reasons for this. Our primary context to this submission is that many of the assumptions and rationale for this bias are quickly falling away, and DPP4 provides a significant opportunity for the Commerce Commission (the Commission) to reset the assumptions and correct some of this bias.

The EA has the ability to take a leadership role in the energy transition on behalf of electricity consumers. Far more than the Commerce Commission’s oversight of EDBs investment plans, the EA’s network pricing workplan gives consumers agency in the development of the electricity system. When consumer agency is stifled, they will likely have significantly worse financial outcomes on their bills. Much of the necessary changes have been demonstrated already locally or overseas, and the remaining question is not if the changes are possible but if we as a nation will have the courage to implement them on the timeline required to drive better energy transition outcomes for consumers.

The electric bandwagon is speeding up, as EECA launches a clever cost-saving campaign showcasing the benefits of electric homes, Octopus opens the doors of New Zealand's first zero energy bills home this weekend, the silent solar revolution is spreading through the developed world, a glorious graph that shows energy economics winning over politics, Ford's new EV ute shows its towing prowess, and Mike Casey embraces his inner electric bogan.

A big week in the long-running battle to turn EVs into batteries on wheels, researchers prove that using cheap solar during the day to heat the water is a good idea for customers and the grid, a solar map of New Zealand that offers lot more detail, tiny turbines (and tiny homes inside massive turbines) and a flood resistant EV.

We're sparking joy this week with Saul Griffith's electric solar powered scooter, Australia and Texas hit major solar milestones, Coldplay creates a truly electric atmosphere, Mike Hosking's EV queries answered with a graph, Kia's new concept car, and Counties Energy teaches kids about solar by taking the grand prix to school.

A bumper crop of electric goodies this week, with Douglas Park school in Wairarapa impressing with its solar, a rare bright spot for the climate as the world continues to run on the sun, UC researchers get funding to push perovskite, the world's most sustainable snowmobile, an EV expo in Christchurch and a true electric tinkerer.

We're in the business of changing perspectives at Rewiring Aotearoa and this week's Electric Avenue is a doozy, with Octopus Energy showing that customers will change their behaviour if there's money to be made, Australian coal miners drive a Tesla and have their minds blown/changed, an engine lover's break up letter with diesel boats after experiencing Vessev's VS-9, the IEA's latest report offers a revealing comparison, the story of the 'genius solar plane that can fly forever', Rainn Wilson pleads with the powers that be to heed his warnings, and ad network Ogilvy gets a fossil fuel flogging.

Put your tongue on that battery, folks, because there's a groundbreaking pilot project in Australia that offers a glimpse at an electric future, a Wairarapa marae with solar and batteries is helping improve resilience after emergencies, solar farms are proving resilient to major weather events, fossil fuel gardening gear is getting the chop, golf courses are going electric and there's another beautiful electric caravan to drool over.

We’ve got a focus on the flames in this edition of Electric Avenue, with Dunedin company Escea’s new electric (and holographic) fire, a battery induction stove that’s well-suited to the outdoors, some amazing electric fire trucks, the rise of all-electric stadia, why nuclear might be a good option (if you buy your own reactor) and battery prices drop by more than analysts expected. 

As David Hasselhoff almost sang, jump in my much cheaper and increasingly popular electric car and see why 96% of EV owners would buy a second one; the UK's last coal-fired electricity plant is switched off; the IEA's renewables report makes for good reading; a Rivian takes an unexpected trip down a river; and comedian Tim Robinson gives some helpful advice to climate change communicators.

Gather round the heat pump, children, as we explore the big benefits of battery recycling, how customers giving up control can help the grid, a radical new plan for electric transport in Queenstown, big trucks, big chargers and big electric ferries, and a look at just what has been captured when it comes to carbon capture.

In this week's e-party, gas in homes is dumb and electric homes are not, a simple solution for those who need to charge their EVs on the street, the wooden winds of change are blowing, and more electric tractor news (this time from the 1920s).