Mike Casey is an entrepreneur and cherry orchardist from Central Otago who has electrified all the machines on his farm and demonstrated how the transition away from diesel can save farmers tens of thousands each year and significantly reduce emissions. He is also the CEO of Rewiring Aotearoa, a New Zealand charity dedicated to electrifying millions of fossil fuel machines across the motu as quickly as possible, and was awarded the Kiwibank Sustainability Leader of the Year award in 2026. 

Rewiring Aotearoa’s Electric Homes report proved New Zealand had reached the electrification tipping point, where electric appliances and vehicles were cheaper than their fossil fuel equivalents over their lifetime, even with upfront costs and finance built in. 

The Electric Farms paper proved there are similar benefits for the rural sector if we can turn farms into power plants. It showed New Zealand’s farmers could reduce their operational costs by going electric and generating a lot of their own electricity through mid-scale solar and battery systems - and they can also make money by feeding electricity back into the grid at times of high demand. “Whether in the home or on the farm, electrification is a real win-win. It’s not just the right environmental decision anymore, it’s the right economic decision. It’s a no-brainer. We just have to figure out how to make it easy.”

Jaydan (Jay) Salzke is an educator and community builder. As Ecosystem Lead for Rewiring Aotearoa, he is building a network of community groups accelerating local electrification. With over 25 electric communities up and running, Rewiring Aotearoa is supporting a local-led national movement to secure the lowest bills, lowest emissions and highest resilience energy future for New Zealand. Previously, as Project Manager for Auckland Climate Festival, Jay fostered partnerships with 285+ stakeholders, delivering workshops and resources to raise climate ambition. He is also completing a Master of Climate Science and Policy, focusing on mitigation, adaptation and climate justice.

"National research shows what's possible, but real change is happening in our suburbs and streets. This is where our grassroots movement takes hold – influencing dinner table decisions all across the motu. My role is to make it easy for each group to get started, notch wins and create impact.”

Jenny is a project manager and senior data scientist at Rewiring Aotearoa. She was previously a data scientist at Xero, and a founding member of New Zealand tech startup Multitudes where she wore hats ranging from data science & data engineering through to product management. She was also a co-founder of Climate Club Aotearoa, a nonprofit working to lower the barrier to impactful, effective climate action for everyday New Zealanders who are worried about climate change but aren’t sure how to help. She combines her enthusiasm for data and climate action at Rewiring Aotearoa, to give all households, businesses, and rural communities a clear pathway to saving both their emissions and on their power bills.

Proudly hailing from the provinces, Matt Newman is a community organiser, facilitator and farmer who has spent much of his career living and working alongside whānau in many of Aotearoa's most remote communities. From Te Tai Tokerau to Te Waipounamu, his work has been shaped by a belief that lasting change happens when communities are trusted and equipped to lead their own futures.

As Community Activator for Rewiring Aotearoa, Matt works alongside communities, marae and local leaders to turn the opportunities of electrification into action. Through partnerships, workshops and grassroots campaigns, he helps communities unlock the practical, economic and resilience benefits of electrification and build a more prosperous future.

Before joining Rewiring Aotearoa, Matt worked across education, youth development and social policy, supporting some of the country's most underserved communities. Passionate about the outdoors and people's connection to te taiao, he is also a speaker and lifelong learner of te reo Māori. He brings a deep commitment to community-led change and a belief that the clean energy transition represents an opportunity to strengthen both people and place.

Elliot Blyth is a campaigner and communicator from Ōtepoti Dunedin. He has worked across environmental and social change in a range of settings – government, NGOs, startups, campaigns and consultancy – usually close to the intersection of comms, design and climate.

As Digital Marketer and Communications Specialist at Rewiring Aotearoa, he contributes to the digital and social media campaigns that make the case for electrification, and is one of the presenters on the Kill Bills tour. An early EV evangelist, Elliot was drawn in by the efficiency of the technology and the climate win-win it offers: cheaper to run, and a genuinely meaningful way to cut emissions. He has spent years since talking people into making the switch, online and in person.

When he's not making the case for electrification, he's usually mountain biking or rock climbing.

"For me, EVs were the way in. They’re proof that there is a huge opportunity within the climate transition to make life better for everyone – the tech's better, it's cheaper to run, and it actually cuts emissions. Now, I’m on a mission to get the story in front of people in a way that lands for them."