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. 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.”