Communities

The grassroots electrification movement will be crucial to Rewiring Aotearoa's success. And we want to give more individuals and communities the resources to build electrification drives in their own communities. 
Find a groupStart a groupPeer-to-peer adviceProjectsResourcesWhy grassroots?

We're building a network of electric communities

When a household electrifies, they open up a range of financial, health and environmental benefits. When a community electrifies, that impact can be exponential: lower emissions, cleaner air, a supported local economy and more collective power.

We can provide support, resources and guidance for community groups, but we need more people to provide the passion so we can build a national electrification movement from the bottom up.

Whether it’s by postcode, by region, by community or by interest - this is a local-led national movement.

So plug yourself in and let’s make New Zealand more electric!

Ready to electrify your community? 

If you want to start a new group, add your support to an existing one, or you’re an existing group that wants to jump on the electrification bandwagon, check out the groups above or get in touch with us.

Thank you we will be in touch to give you more information about how to get started with a local Rewiring group.
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How to electrify your home

Find answers to your questions in our online group

Going Electric NZ is a peer-to-peer Facebook group: a database of information and advice on improving the comfort and energy performance of New Zealand homes. Whether you're an electric-convert or electric-curious, this is where New Zealanders share their experiences, helping others to make the switch.

Think a nationwide neighbourhood hub for real-world advice on everything from products, quotes and installation to maintenance and monitoring, smart energy use and more.

Got electrification questions?
Get answers from real New Zealanders.

Join Facebook Group

Here's how we're activating the community

Kill Bills Electrification Tour

We're taking Rewiring Aotearoa's bill-killing message on tour, with stops all up and down the country. Join 'electric orchardist' Mike Casey for a series of events that will walk locals through how they can save on energy bills by electrifying the machines in their home, and adding solar and batteries.

We're expecting the tour will give rise to many more community groups across New Zealand, spreading the grassroots movement and influencing countless dinner table decisions.

Join us on the Great New Zealand Electric Roadie.

See tour events
Community Activation Fund

This Fund is set to be one of the largest pools of funding for community-driven electrification efforts in New Zealand.

We're giving Sponsors the opportunity to directly invest into wide-reaching grassroots action that can reduce costs and emissions and increase our resilience.

Then, we're channeling these funds straight into grassroots community movements: funding local activities that accelerate electrification.

Interested in making an impact as a Sponsor?

Set up a kōrero with the team
Building a network of connected communities

We're better together. That's why Rewiring Aotearoa is building a network of community groups, and connecting keen electrons with each other.

Through our online channel, resource hub and regular workshops, 100+ community leaders are learning, sharing ideas and solving common problems with each other in real time.

For farmers looking to go electric, we also host an Electric Farmers online forum: a place to offer advice, celebrate wins and share experiences.

Interested in joining?

Ask about our community channels

Resourced and revved up

Rewiring's role is to 'make it easy' for groups to focus on what they do best: engage the community. We produce the handouts, flyers, posters, templates, slide decks, graphics and brandkits - you bring the passion and local expertise.

We're looking to eliminate the usual barriers to effective local action, providing the materials and connections for you to get started. And we may even be able to provide a small amount of funding or a guest speaker to kick things off or run a special event.

What is an electric home?

Covers the basics including bills savings, upfront costs and emissions saved.

Download handout
Electric farms handoutHousehold machine guides

For the people, by the people

Rewiring Aotearoa's goal is to electrify ten million fossil fuel machines by 2030 - from the weed eaters and the whipper snippers to the cars and the water heaters. That’s why we’re pushing the decision makers and regulators to make changes that incentivise uptake of electric machines, solar and batteries. 

We’re also educating households, businesses and farms about the many economic and environmental benefits that come from swapping to electric machines.
Read more about how electrification is about much more than just reducing emissions
We want to harness the strength of community-led action and connect new or existing community and environmental groups across the country to run effective electrification campaigns in their community. Groups can help drive awareness and uptake of electrification, bring the local council to the table to support electrification and show central government it is broadly popular across different demographics.

By working together, we can share ideas, resources and energy to increase each community’s capacity and impact.

Why?

Around 30% of New Zealand’s domestic emissions come from small fossil fuel machines in our homes, most of which could be replaced with electric equivalents right now. One of the only ways we will meet our emissions targets is to rapidly replace the fossil fuel machines that sit in homes, driveways and businesses with efficient, electric versions powered by renewable energy from the national grid and from rooftop solar and batteries. Electrifying your home and transport is likely to bring down your cost of living, and will probably have a bigger impact on your emissions than any other decision you make. We want more people to be equipped with this information so their next purchasing decision is electric and we don’t lock in years or decades of fossil fuel emissions and high energy prices.

These purchasing decisions take place around dinner tables and boardroom tables and can be positively influenced and supported by trusted sources within the community. Electrification is sometimes easier said than done, however, and can be complicated for those without much knowledge. Community members can play a critical role smoothing out that process, providing information and assistance and helping to make New Zealand one of the world’s most electric economies.

How?

Rewiring Aotearoa is connecting with local groups to ensure we can all benefit from sharing, collaborating and connecting through: 

  • Access to an online space for groups to collaborate and share news and ideas.
  • Sharing Rewiring Aotearoa’s resources such as flyers, event banners, graphs and illustrations, and logo templates, including customisable resources to ensure localised content can be included. 
  • Online workshops and face-to-face events to build collective knowledge and identify collaboration opportunities.
  • Joint advocacy and collaborative activities.
  • We can provide materials and connections for you to get started. And we may even be able to provide a small amount of funding or a guest speaker to kick things off or run a special event. Find out how to make it happen with our Electrification Guides. If you want access to our branding kits, get in touch.

What will the community groups be doing?

Every household is different, as is every community, but there are three main areas of focus:

1) Support communities to electrify

2) Educate the public

3) Advocate for community assets and political action

We want our community groups to find out what is most needed by their residents and then find a way to provide it. Some of the things groups are doing include:

  • Community surveys and resources
  • Induction cooking demonstrations
  • Speaker events, educational workshops and information sessions
  • Electric vehicle test drives and open days
  • In-home advisory services or business partnerships with installers
  • Working with councils for infrastructure such as solar on community buildings and EV charging
  • Working with councils to incentivise electrification in new buildings or help them create information campaigns for residents
  • Bulk buys of solar panels and heat pumps
  • Electrification expos and trade shows
  • Engagement with local media (including regular columns)

In Australia, the world-leading Electrify 2515 will turn the postcode into a shining example of our electric future. This project was led by the community, and will benefit the community in many ways. We'd love to see something like this in New Zealand. So who's going to lead the charge? 

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Your donations help our team keep the momentum of rapidly electrifying Aotearoa New Zealand within our key focus areas of community, government and industry.

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