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We've been talking about energy for ages at Rewiring, but everyone else seems to be talking about it, too, primarily because price rises are proving to so painful for so many homes and businesses. One way to reduce that pain is by offering long-term, low-interest loans for electric upgrades, something we've been working hard on for a while, and that was the subject of a front page story on The Post. In it, questions were raised about the amount of money being spent on consultants (and some of the advice then being ignored) and whether the Government would back the Ratepayer Assistance Scheme.
Rewiring Aotearoa CEO Mike Casey featured prominently with the quote: "It's just time to stop spending money on consulting to come up with new ideas ... we really need to start taking action."
Read the full story here (paywalled)⚡
Right now, an average home could save about $1,000 a year, including paying interest on a loan. And there are a lot of other 'positive externalities', as the economists say.
We don't need subsidies to make solar economic, but where subsidies will help is if we want to speed things up, like they've done in Australia. Subsidies will encourage people with money or access to finance to go out and buy solar and batteries, but long-term, low-interest finance is more important because it means more New Zealand households, especially lower-income homes, will be able to access those technologies and save money from day one.
Find out more about the RAS and why it makes so much sense here.
High fuel prices are hurting different demographics in different ways. We've seen stories of low-income households having to choose between food and transport; businesses reliant on diesel that are on the brink as margins shrink; and now, those in rural districts spending "as much as five times more of their household budgets on fuel than city dwellers".
Paul Spain heads to Central Otago to meet Mike Casey at Electric Cherries, exploring what happens when tech thinking meets hands‑on farming. Mike shares his journey from scaling tech startups in Sydney to creating New Zealand’s first fully electric cherry orchard, powered by onsite solar to reduce energy costs and build long‑term resilience. The conversation dives into the real economics of electrification, smart infrastructure choices, and how practical technology decisions can unlock productivity, sustainability, and future growth for New Zealand businesses.
Read moreDownloadThe OECD has just released its 2026 report on New Zealand's economy. And when it comes to energy, it basically gave us a 'must try harder' grade. On the proposed LNG terminal - which, remarkably, is still not dead yet despite all evidence suggesting it should be - the OECD said, as we have said, that it would not serve its intended function of lowering prices.
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