The 'Electric Election': energy policies, side by side
Electrify everything. Electrify everyone. Electrify New Zealand. That's Rewiring Aotearoa's vision and our CEO Mike Casey gave a condensed version of what we've done and what we're doing at our Electric Christmas party recently. As he said to a large crowd at Ecotricity, which kindly hosted the event and provided the excellent electric cake, 2024 was the year of the thinking, 2025 was the year of the doing, and 2026 will be the year of mass adoption.
This year, we counted all the country's fossil fuel machines (there are around 10 million of them and seven million are ready to electrify right now); we launched our policy manifesto and presented an achievable, affordable plan to create the world's most electric economy; we took the Kill Bills tour across the country and now have 36 community electrification groups; we've started an electrification accelerator in Queenstown that aims to become a demonstration project for the world to follow; and we have worked closely with a range of partners on the Ratepayer Assistance Scheme to ensure more New Zealanders get access to low-interest, long-term loans for electrification upgrades.
We're always fighting for the customers in the energy system (and they need more help than ever), but we're also fighting for New Zealand and we firmly believe that going electric is a massive win-win-win-win for the country. It could save us billions, slash our emissions, provide much greater resilience in emergencies and improve our energy security and we will continue to push for more ambition from our politicians as we head into next year's 'electric election'.
Thank you to all those who have chipped in to help us do this work. And thank you to all those who have electrified their own lives, attended one of our events, shared our posts, or used our information to try and educate others. It's been a real team effort.
If you'd like to donate, you can do so here.
'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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