Rewiring Speaking Events

What happens to Queenstown’s energy supply when a major earthquake hits? 

Queenstown’s location and mountains are beautiful, but that same geography means we’ll be very vulnerable when things go wrong. A major earthquake is likely to damage roads, power infrastructure and other essential connections, leaving Queenstown cut off and without grid power for weeks or months. 

So, how prepared are we really? How long could Queenstown be without power or fuel, what would that mean for our homes, businesses and emergency services, and what can we do now to make sure we’re better prepared?

Join us for an evening exploring Queenstown's energy resilience. Where we are now, what could happen in a major earthquake, and what a more resilient energy system looks like for our future.

What we'll cover

We'll hear from people working across energy, infrastructure, emergency preparedness and community resilience about:

• Queenstown's energy lifelines: How electricity gets into the region, where the vulnerabilities are, and what could happen if critical infrastructure or transport routes are damaged.
• The earthquake scenario: What a major Alpine Fault earthquake could mean for Queenstown and how long the region could potentially be without normal energy supplies.
• Our roads and other lifelines: What happens when the infrastructure we rely on to move people, fuel, equipment and supplies is disrupted?
• Being better prepared: What households, businesses and communities can do now to prepare for a prolonged disruption to electricity and other essential services.
• The future of Queenstown's energy system: What opportunities are there to make our energy system more resilient, local and adaptable and what role could technologies such as solar, batteries, electric vehicles and other distributed energy resources play?
• Who needs to be involved: How can electricity networks, councils, emergency services, businesses and communities work together to build greater resilience?

The programme

• An introduction: By your facilitator, Trent Yeo. 
• Speaking Session: Earthquakes, Energy & Queenstown’s Future by Josh Ellison (Queenstown Electrification Accelerator)
• Panel & Q&A: Facilitated by Trent Yeo, with Josh Ellison, Dr Steve Batstone (QEA), Dr Leslie Van Gelder (Climate Reference Group) , Bill Nicholl (QLDC). 

The speakers

Trent Yeo is a Queenstown-based tourism sustainability practitioner and co-founder of Ziptrek Ecotours, which has operated as a net-zero carbon business since 2019. He has worked across climate resilience, sustainability, destination management and community initiatives, bringing a broad systems perspective to the challenges facing Queenstown’s future. 

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Josh Ellison co-leads the Queenstown Electrification Accelerator. He helped establish the non-profit Rewiring Aotearoa and has led its research, strategy, and innovation work since establishment. This work has included deep analysis on solar and batteries, new energy resilience opportunities like Vehicle-To-Grid, and weather analysis to answer every energy nerd's favourite question "what about when the sun doesn't shine".

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Dr Steve Batstone co-leads the Queenstown Electrification Accelerator and has more than 25 years’ experience working across New Zealand’s energy system. His work spans New Zealand's energy markets and electricity system, including demand flexibility and the role of distributed energy resources in a more resilient energy system. 

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Dr Leslie Van Gelder is Chair of the Queenstown Lakes District Climate Reference Group and Co-Chair of the Southern Lakes Sanctuary, with a background in archaeology, climate change and the relationship between people and place. Her work across climate resilience, conservation, heritage and community-led initiatives brings a long-term perspective to how the Southern Lakes can prepare for environmental and other disruptions.

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Bill Nicholl is the Resilience & Climate Action Manager at Queenstown District Lakes Council. He leads on emergency preparedness, climate resilience and biodiversity regeneration in Queenstown Lakes, and brings a local government perspective on preparing Queenstown Lakes for natural hazards, climate impacts and disruption to essential services. 

Whether you're interested in emergency preparedness, infrastructure, energy, climate resilience, or simply want to understand what a major earthquake could mean for your household, this is a conversation for you.

Free but registration essential

⚡ ELECTRIFY ALBERT-EDEN

Electricity is up. Gas is through the roof. Petrol is insane. It's time to fight back 🤺

In the Albert-Eden local board and across New Zealand it keeps getting more expensive to heat our homes and water, cook our meals and get around, but it's easier than you think to save money on your energy bills by upgrading to electric appliances and vehicles.

Our data shows that most houses in Auckland could save thousands on energy bills every year while reducing emissions and improving resilience. By swapping old gas and petrol machines for modern electric equivalents (and, if you can, powering them with solar and batteries), we can get a win-win-win.

Rewiring Aotearoa is bringing experts from our team to talk to locals from the Albert Eden local board area to break down the 'electrification tipping point', show real-world examples and answer questions you have about how going electric is the smartest, cheapest, strongest and healthiest way to power your life.

Power Up the Hutt is a free five-part community event series bringing together Hutt Valley residents who want to cut their power bills, reduce their carbon footprint, and future-proof their homes.

Explore how to make the most of solar, EVs, energy retailers, as well as the basics of generating, storing, using, and selling power. Hear real experiences from solar, battery, and EV owners & experts to support your energy journey.

Tickets $5. Inlcudes snacks and light refreshments.

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Following pōwhiri and kai, learn from those in the know around marae and community hub electrification. Hear about Owae's eventful electrification journey and enjoy tours of the beautifully designed and electrified wharekai, the solar and battery set-up, and the native restoration project.

LETS Committee Member Margarita Parra will give an entertaining talk on the future of mobility in our communities. Margarita’s professional work has focused on community-centered and creative approaches to the energy transition.

An educational community gathering hosted by St John the Baptist Anglican Church in partnership with Rewiring Aotearoa, focusing on home electrification, practical energy solutions, and local sustainability.

A free, full-day event where you can explore EVs, solar, heat pumps, and more – and have local experts answer your questions.