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In a cross-submission, Rewiring Aotearoa has responded to a range of concerns raised by other submitters in the Energy Competition Task Force's consulation.
Please find below our cross-submission on some key common themes from submitters on Consultation paper - Requiring distributors to pay a rebate when consumers export electricity at peak times. These are the points where we feel particularly compelled to comment. We have included some specific quotes from submissions, but certainly not all relevant quotes.
As an overarching comment, some submissions included significant statements as if they were fact with no backing evidence. Several even noted they are aware of evidence of certain things, yet don’t provide this evidence or point to where it can be found. We recommend that the Task Force track down such evidence and confirm you are confident in this before taking any decisions based on it.
The submission focusses on the following:
1. It is good to see consumers getting their voices heard
2. Concerns of wealth transfers
3. Obsession with aggregators and control
4. Claims that batteries can’t reduce any network costs
5. Location based value and low visibility of LV network
6. Failing to undertake good consumption tariff design as excuse
8. Concerns consumers with batteries will themselves be disadvantaged by SETs
9. Correcting a few incorrect assumptions
A proposal to let people install solar panels and other green technology using low-interest loans from their council needs to go ahead "as soon as possible", its proponents say. The government asked Local Government New Zealand to present its business case for the proposed Ratepayer Assistance Scheme (RAS) in late 2025. However, ministers still had not made any decisions about whether to go ahead with the scheme - which would let councils provide long-term loans to any homeowner who wanted to access them. That's despite growing political support from parties across the spectrum.
Read moreDownloadQueenstown, New Zealand (18 May 2026) Leading politicians debated New Zealand's energy future on the second day of Electrify Queenstown 2026 today. The sold-out session, moderated by journalist Paddy Gower, opened with speeches from Deputy Prime Minister and ACT Party Leader Hon. David Seymour, Labour Leader Rt Hon. Chris Hipkins, Energy Minister Hon. Simeon Brown, New Zealand First Co-Leader and Associate Energy Minister Hon. Shane Jones, Green Party Co-Leader Chlöe Swarbrick, and The Opportunities Party Leader Qiulae Wong.
Read moreDownloadDiesel generators, you're cooked! We’ve seen a few of our electric communities plug in to their EVs at small events and that's great to see, but Hamish Roberge from Tom Tom Productions in Queenstown has developed a solution that can be rolled out for bigger gigs. Roberge is currently on the job delivering the third Electrify Queenstown conference and it was during last year's conference that he was inspired to create NRG Event Batteries.
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