Power Innovation Pathway

Kia ora innovators

Welcome to the Power Innovation Pathway

The Power Innovation Pathway is our ‘open front door’ for innovators wanting easy access to regulatory information and support to bring fresh ideas to market faster.

This could be a concept which benefits all Kiwis, or be a local solution for your community.

To ‘step in the door’ and open the conversation with us, we invite you to tell us a bit about your product, service or business model by completing the Pathway entry form. This should only take you 10-15 minutes.

A priority round for our enhanced regulatory support programme is open from Monday 29 September to Friday 31 October. Interested in support? Enter the Pathway!

In our first priority round, we selected eight high-value initiatives to provide enhanced regulatory support.

The Pathway is an ongoing initiative and applications for general regulatory support are open year-round.

Enter the Pathway

Access regulatory information and support.

Innovation

The Pathway in action

Hear directly from our Chair and Chief Executive about why the Power Innovation Pathway is important to us. You can also meet the innovators driving change and discover why they are part of the Pathway.

Meet the innovators

Our goals

Open access for innovators

An accessible, structured process for innovators to engage with us and receive the regulatory guidance you need.
Regulatory clarity

Addressing real or perceived regulatory barriers to help innovators progress their ideas more efficiently.
Accelerating high-value ideas

Supporting innovative ideas with potential to deliver significant benefit to electricity consumers.
Deepening market understanding

Builds the Authority’s understanding of emerging opportunities and barriers, to enable more effective and adaptive regulation.

Step by step

The Pathway provides a streamlined process for innovators to receive regulatory advice and support through the following steps:

Step 1: Enter the Pathway

Innovators submit their ideas through the Pathway entry form, designed to streamline the initial engagement process.

Step 2: We review your information

We review each innovator's entry and provide a tailored response. Responses could range from initial advice to next-step recommendations or a request for clarification.

Step 3: We meet with you

Where more in-depth engagement and/or advice is required, we will meet with innovators to clarify their needs, regulatory questions and potential next steps. This helps achieve mutual understanding of the challenges and opportunities.

Step 4: Initiatives selected for enhanced support

Applications for high-value and/or highly feasible innovations that align with our strategic objectives are considered for our enhanced support programme through specific rounds of the Pathway.

The second priority round for enhanced regulatory support is open from 29 September to 31 October 2025.

Step 5: Learnings are shared

The Electricity Authority will use innovators' perspectives, submission themes and the lessons learned from trials and share relevant insights across the sector. Read our one-year insights report.

The aim is to reduce regulatory barriers for all and better enable innovation that benefits consumers and leads to a more efficient, resilient and competitive sector.

Meet the innovators

Tranche 1 initiatives

In the Pathway's first priority round, we selected eight high-value initiatives for enhanced regulatory support. Learn how these initiatives are driving benefits for the electricity system and consumers through these case studies.

Dispatchable demand pilot: Simply Energy
View case study
Distribution system operation pilot: Counties Energy
View case study
Electronic derivatives platform: Aotearoa Energy
View case study
End-to-end flexibility platform pilot: Our Energy/Cortexo
View case study
Franklin Energy Sharing pilot: Climate Connect Aotearoa/Ara Ake/Counties Energy
View case study
Queenstown Electrification Accelerator: Rewiring Aotearoa/Ara Ake
View case study
Smart panel demand flexibility trial: Basis
View case study
Voluntary network tariff pilot: The Lines Company
View case study