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"David Seymour is ordering a review of the installation process, saying he wants to make New Zealand the easiest place in the world to switch to solar. He said just three to four percent of New Zealand households used solar, despite average power savings of about $1000 a year." Mike Casey, chief executive of Rewiring Aotearoa, said regulations needed to keep pace with technology and he was pleased to see the government looking at ways to help. "In Australia, virtual inspections allow the installs to be approved remotely and much more rapidly and other countries have centralised systems that don't require a physical visit and use an auditing process to ensure standards are being met," he said. Rewiring Aotearoa wanted to see national standards across lines companies for solar and legalisation for plug-in solar set-ups which were becoming popular overseas.
Read moreDownload the document hereHigh 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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