Meeting the future needs of New Zealanders

The electricity system in Aotearoa New Zealand is going through a significant transformation towards a more decentralised future.

The reasons for change are getting stronger: the costs of small-scale renewables, batteries, and other energy resources are dropping quickly, and renewable generation, storage and flexible demand are becoming more necessary and valuable. Consumers are more focused on energy resilience to disruptive events and on energy affordability.

However, there are many views on what this future decentralised system for electricity should look like and what the pathways are to achieve it. This lack of alignment could lead to inconsistent decision making and an inefficient or delayed transition.

We recently sought feedback on our green paper, 'Working together to ensure our electricity system meets the future needs of all New Zealanders', to start the necessary discussion and debate among all electricity stakeholders around our decentralised future. Thanks to all those who made a submission. We will use these submissions to inform our regulatory thinking and next steps. View submissions

We want to keep the conversation going! If you'd like to give your feedback on the green paper, get in touch at decentralisation@ea.govt.nz.