The 'Electric Election': energy policies, side by side
Rewiring Aotearoa supports the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority’s (EECA) levy funding proposal for 2026/27, as we see significant benefits for electricity consumers and New Zealand’s productivity from EECA’s workstreams. This is evidenced through EECA’s performance where it has met or exceeded targeted measures, which include cost and energy savings, efficiency investment and other metrics that demonstrate the value EECA’s programmes provide.
Rewiring Aotearoa is an independent non-partisan non-profit, funded by New Zealand philanthropy. It is a registered charity working on energy, climate, and electrification research, advocacy, and supporting communities through the energy transition. The team consists of New Zealand energy, policy, and community outreach experts who have demonstrated experience both locally and internationally. We’re always fighting for the New Zealanders who use the energy system, and our goal is to help build a low cost, low emissions, high resilience electrified economy for Aotearoa NZ.
Rewiring Aotearoa supports the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority’s (EECA) levy funding proposal for 2026/27, as we see significant benefits for electricity consumers and New Zealand’s productivity from EECA’s workstreams. This is evidenced through EECA’s performance where it has met or exceeded targeted measures, which include cost and energy savings, efficiency investment and other metrics that demonstrate the value EECA’s programmes provide.
EECA’s ongoing evidence and data workstreams create value through informing and improving strategic energy policy and regulatory decision making. EECA’s recent research identified up to 1,800 MW of demand across New Zealand (around 25% of total demand) could be shifted away from peak times with the potential to save New Zealand up to $3 billion.
EECA plays a key role to support consumer choices that unlock value from demand side energy technology (eg: smart energy devices, rooftop solar, batteries and electric vehicles as mobile batteries) that can lower energy bills, and improve productivity, energy security and resilience. EECA’s energy demand side and efficiency workstreams are becoming increasingly important as the benefits and the role of demand side energy technology grows.
A recent example of this is EECA’s Solar on Farms demonstration funding and Information hub. The demonstration funding was highly popular with hundreds of farms interested and many more utilising the Information Hub. Stimulating uptake of solar and battery investment on farms is a win-win for the farmer and the local community. It can reduce energy bills for the farmer and provide valuable resilience benefits for the community when solar is paired with batteries, with the potential to offset network investment and lower energy bills for the whole community. Distributed batteries and solar on farms provide the potential to support a network of rural EV charging sites helping to expand access to public EV charging into low use parts of the country.
We are far from the end of the energy transition with a lot more to be done and EECA can deliver significant additional value to households and businesses through being appropriately resourced. This does not just apply to stationary energy, there is a continued need for EECA to play a role in transport both from managing low emissions transport funds and supporting the transition of the New Zealand fleet to electric vehicles especially heavy freight and light commercial vehicles.
'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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