The 'Electric Election': energy policies, side by side
Something electric is brewing in Auckland - and teacher Charlotte McKeon is leading the charge.
Last year, she led a cohort of One Tree Hill College students through a deep retrofit project of an old Kainga Ora home, with support from local businesses (product + material suppliers, tradies etc). They successfully completed the home, showed considerable cost savings in comparison to demolishing and building new, reached Homestar 7 standard, and sold the project at auction.
The project was a major success on many different levels, whether it was bringing the community together, giving students real world experience, or providing a great demonstration of what's possible to other colleges.
Charlotte is once again embarking on a retrofit journey this year with a new derelict home, a group of excited students, and a number of willing businesses supporting the scheme.
But this time she's looking to go one step further and deliver a 'zero bills' home complete with solar, batteries and all the latest electric tech.
Teachers are always heroes in our eyes. And tradies will be the heroes of our electrification push. This is a match made in heaven
'Twas the night before Chris-mas, and all through the house, all the voters were stirring, the pundits showing their nous … the election will soon be over, but the energy crisis won't, so we'll be there to pester whoever is in power about the need to run more of the economy on New Zealand-made energy; can Ethiopia's aggressive push for EVs work and how does New Zealand compare in terms of adoption rates?; a two-way charging trial from Genesis shows promise in Auckland, but there's still a way to go before it's mainstream; small electric vehicles are often overlooked when it comes to electrifying transport, but it's hard to miss this weird French one; a solar-powered cafe (and some electric coffee); and we endorse the political vandalism of Keith of All Trades.
Read moreDownloadPoliticians are being urged to adopt stronger electric vehicle incentives ahead of the election. Climate and energy advocacy group Rewiring Aotearoa is arguing that EVs are one of the most effective long-term solutions for rising transport and energy costs. They're promoting an EV Salary Boost proposal, which would allow workers to access EVs through pre-tax salary arrangements – similarly to already existing schemes in the UK and Australia. Policy and Government Relations Spokesperson Ngaio Neumegen told Kerre Woodham that even with the rising cost of power, it's still cheaper to run an EV than a car running on imported fuel.
A proposal that would let New Zealanders lease an electric car using their before-tax pay has not won a commitment from either National or Labour, with the 7 November election days away. Under the EV Salary Boost, put forward by Rewiring Aotearoa and Drive Electric, an employee would lease a new or used EV for three to five years. The payments would come out of their pay before tax, lowering the cost of running the car. The idea is based on Australia’s novated leasing system, though the groups say they are not proposing a direct copy.
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