Industry

Digitalisation system map

Working together on the path to a smarter, digital and consumer-centred electricity system.

Our digitalisation system map

New Zealand's electricity system is changing. In the future our electricity system, and the operations and processes that underpin it, will become more data-driven, automated and digital.

To help prepare for this future, we have developed a digitalisation system map to show the mahi needed across the sector to help achieve a digitalised future for consumers. It presents a collective vision of digitalisation for the electricity system from industry, innovators and government agencies, and lists possible initiatives and sector actions to help accelerate it.

The system map is set out on this page and is also available to download.

The map was developed in 2026 following engagement with innovators, industry players, consumer advocates, cybersecurity specialists, energy users and government agencies.

About our digitalisation work programme

Woman smart panel tech innovation
Our goals

Where we're heading

We are working towards a future where:

  • Consumers are empowered to decide how they use electricity and take part in the electricity market

  • The electricity system is data-rich, open and interconnected, so it can operate efficiently and adapt as technology and consumer needs evolve.

What we want the sector to achieve

We are working together across the electricity sector to achieve the following 10 outcomes. These outcomes will enable Aotearoa to move towards an electricity system that is accessible, interoperable, customer-centred, adaptive and resilient.

  • 1. Secure, timely data exchange

    Data exchange is secure and timely, with high-quality, high-frequency and granular data supporting automated action.

  • 2. Easy integration of new technologies

    The electricity system integrates new connected technologies easily and safely.

  • 3. Strong data governance and management

    The electricity sector has strong data governance and management that provides the foundation for safe and secure data access and sharing.

  • 4. Innovative and collaborative solutions

    New and existing participants develop innovative solutions and share what they learn across the industry.

  • 5. A digitally enabled flexible system

    The system has the right data access, communication protocols, technology standards and roles in place to integrate flexibility.

  • 6. Consumer-focused solutions

    Solutions are designed with consumers' specific needs in mind.

  • 7. Accessible and trusted network data

    Network data is accessible and helps improve processes and systems. Information from distributors and Transpower gives other parties the confidence to connect and invest.

  • 8. Better market processes

    Market and settlement processes are as accurate as possible and reduce barriers to entry.

  • 9. Reliable digital infrastructure

    Digital infrastructure used in emergencies is robust and reliable.

  • 10. Informed electricity management

    Consumers or their agents have access to data and clear information that help them make decisions about their electricity use and management.

How the sector will achieve it (enablers)

The following activities are the core building blocks the electricity sector is working on to create the foundation for a smart, digitalised electricity system. Achieving these will enable the wider electricity system to evolve, innovate and deliver better outcomes for consumers.

Security

System architecture

  • Develop a system-wide architecture framework to guide how technologies connect and operate
  • Define roles and access levels: data holders, creators and users
  • Collaboratively develop a data governance framework, common across the sector
  • Adopt or establish best-practice guidance to support consistent, secure data management
Test do not use

Data exchange

  • Develop data-sharing infrastructure
  • Explore development of an accreditation/consent model for data sharing
  • Modernise data access and set clear standards, including for Electricity Information Exchange Protocols
Slide - data

Integration of new technologies

  • Enable regulatory sandboxes to allow innovation and test policy, practice and procedures
  • Encourage update of the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Act so products can be regulated for demand flexibility capability

Key initiatives

We have worked with organisations across the electricity industry, innovators and government agencies to identify the following initiatives that will help deliver a digitalised electricity system.

Some of these initiatives are already underway by different organisations, as indicated in the brackets. All will require coordinated effort across the sector and electricity system to achieve our desired outcomes.

1. Platform-focused initiatives

These initiatives are where technical changes are needed either to technology (hardware or software), processes or protocols.

Short term

Digitalisation-specific initiatives

  • Develop a common glossary of terms for data definitions and metadata requirements (All)
  • Develop data access and management principles, and policies as needed (All)
  • Establish key use cases, including any that require centralisation or public access (EA)
  • Investigate contractual mechanisms for data sharing – existing and new use cases (EA)
  • Determine the structure for sharing flexibility asset, market and forecast data (EA, EECA, FF)
  • Establish demand-side flexibility protocols and product criteria (EA, EECA)
  • Implement a consumer data right for electricity, including data standards (EA, MBIE)
  • Establish information exchange protocols across distribution and transmission (EA, TP, ENA)
  • Implementing Data Quality Framework and Common Information Model (ENA)
  • Progress adoption of inverter and device standards and communication protocols (EECA)

Digitalisation-adjacent initiatives

Medium term

Digitalisation-specific initiatives

  • Establish expectations for provision and use of network (reliability, quality, performance) data, including timeliness (EA, ENA, CC)
  • Further comparison and switching service enhancements eg, modelled guidance (EA)
  • Modern update to registry, Reconciliation Manager and data transfer and validation processes (EA)
  • Investigate reducing settlement timeframes (EA)
  • Metering infrastructure uplift (EA, CC)
  • Interoperability considerations for home energy management systems (EA, EECA)
  • Maintain basic set of common forecasting assumptions (All)

Digitalisation-adjacent initiatives

  • Improve communications resilience (EA, TP, ENA)
  • Consider treatment of distributed unmetered load (EA)

Long term

Digitalisation-specific initiatives

  • System simulator to quantify and interrogate the impact of ideas and policy (All)
  • Enable system-wide sharing of network data (EA, ENA, CC)
  • Investigate within-day switching processes (and implement if desired) (EA)
  • Develop a standards testing regime (EA, EECA)
  • New hardware testing and integration programme (EECA)

2. People-focused initiatives

These initiatives are social in nature about understanding behaviours, educating people or investing in the skills and capabilities necessary to deliver changes.

Short term

Digitalisation-specific initiatives

  • Mapping data required for decisions and actions in flexibility journey (EA, FF)
  • Undertake customer behaviour and sentiment research (and personal development) to identify specific preferences and problems (EA, EECA)
  • Establishing framework for agents to manage and action data on a consumer’s behalf (EA)

Digitalisation-adjacent initiatives

Medium term

Digitalisation-adjacent initiatives

  • Establish grant funding for publicly driven solutions (EECA)
  • Develop public trialling capability to inform solution development (All)
  • Develop Code FAQ or common interpretation Q&A (EA)
  • Create template commercial contracts Add copy and links (EA, ENA)

Long term

Digitalisation-specific initiatives

  • Develop access seeker data and information portal eg, with capacity and congestion forecasts (EA, ENA)

3. Initiatives outside the system

Some initiatives sit outside the electricity system, but they can still deliver real benefits for consumers and for electricity market participants. Even though these initiatives are not fully within the sector’s control, we believe it is important to support these initiatives.

Initiatives outside the system
  • Understand housing and building characteristics to improve energy efficiency
  • Investigate linking medically dependent consumer data to wider health data and systems
  • Simplify customer access to their data, when consumer data rights apply across other sectors eg, water, gas
  • Improve energy efficiency in public spaces using smart systems
  • Identify the critical steps to decarbonise the transport system

Note: the organisations leading or contributing to the above initiatives are identified in brackets as follows:

All – Joint industry and regulator

CC – Commerce Commission

EA – Electricity Authority

EEA – Electricity Engineers' Association

EECA – Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority

ENA – Electricity Networks Aotearoa (distributors)

FF – FlexForum

MBIE – Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment

TP – Transpower