The numbers don’t lie
Mike Casey, who was named New Zealand Sustainability Leader of the Year at this year's Kiwibank awards, opened proceedings with a bracing set of numbers.
Aotearoa New Zealand spends $55 million on fossil fuels every single day.
8.5 million fossil fuel machines have economical electric alternatives that are readily available in Aotearoa New Zealand today.
The technology to electrify 85% of what we need already exists. These are machines like cars, heaters, lawnmowers, motorbikes, ovens and stoves.
According to Rewiring Aotearoa, electrifying our homes and light vehicles alone could save more than $10 billion annually (finance costs included).
EECA CEO Marcos Pelenur put the conclusion plainly: "The economics are there - let's go."
The team from Westpac noted that they were seeing more searches for green loans than for mortgages at present.
The will is there. And we are running out of excuses.
Forget the moral case. Try the practical one
Saul Griffith was the speaker everyone was talking about. Saul is one of the world's leading thinkers on electrification and someone who has the rare ability to make a complex systems argument feel both urgent and achievable.
His central point was that Aotearoa New Zealand has a first, best shot at electrification. We have cheap existing renewables. We have expensive fossil fuels. And we have a geopolitical moment that makes the case for energy sovereignty impossible to ignore.
The conflict in the Strait of Hormuz has driven fuel prices up at a rapid pace and is changing behaviour around fossil fuel dependency faster than years of climate messaging. Saul argues this is actually our best opportunity. When the case for change is financial and practical, not just moral, it spreads. Fast.
The "but what about a bad renewables year?" objection kept coming up and kept getting dismissed. Fossil fuel supply chains - long, geopolitically fragile, priced by forces completely outside our control - carry far more uncertainty than wind, solar or hydro. Solar panels lock in a fixed energy price for 30 years. In a world of volatility, that kind of certainty is worth a lot.
From hippy roots to 486 solar panels
The green finance panel, chaired by Westpac's Kate Archer, grounded the conversation in practice. Aimee McCammon from Pics Peanut Butter described what it looks like when a business commits to electrification. The Nelson business has a purpose-built factory with 486 solar panels, EV chargers in the carpark, an electric van for weekend markets and is encouraging businesses in its supply chain to electrify their operations.
Aimee’s framing was useful: "Think secondhand first - that's accessible. When equipment needs replacing anyway, that's the moment to go electric. The bank and EECA are both ready to support it. And once you've done it, working capital frees up for other things."
Investor Lachlan Nixon from Motion Capital put his finger on the remaining problem. Capital is still a real barrier in a cost-of-living crisis. The model that came up repeatedly as the most practical solution was the Ratepayer Assistance Scheme. It provides long-term, low-interest loans for any rateable property. Cross-party political support is building, but the government has not yet made a decision to proceed. I think that needs to change, and soon.
The elephant got named
The event's second day became the first major political debate of the 2026 election campaign. Paddy Gower moderated a session with seven party representatives - Deputy Prime Minister Hon David Seymour, Hon Megan Woods, Hon Simeon Brown, Hon Shane Jones, Rt Hon Chris Hipkins, Chlöe Swarbrick and Qiulae Wong - and it did not disappoint.
The proposed $1 billion LNG import terminal was the sharpest dividing line. Labour’s spokespeople were unequivocal that this would not proceed under a Labour-led government. Opportunity Party leader Qiulae Wong said the LNG debate was a symptom of there being no long-term energy strategy for the country. Nobody trusted the direction and that lack of certainty was costing us investment, talent and time. Wong asked pointedly where all the electricians had gone. The answer: Australia, where they're actually moving on electrification.
Where the parties found common ground, and it was notable that they did, was on the need for market certainty, more renewable capacity and (mostly) the value of making solar installation easier.
The debate made one thing clear. Energy will be a defining election issue and the decisions made in the next 12 months will shape Aotearoa New Zealand's economic trajectory for decades.
Your move
Rewiring Aotearoa’s session on the final morning offered the reminder that there is no single roadmap to electrification. Every business's journey is different. Start by asking three questions:
Where is your energy coming from?
What are you using it on?
How are you using it?
That's where SBN's Electrify Business programme begins. We have practical resources to help you take the first steps. The finance case is there. The political momentum is building. The businesses that move now will cut costs, build resilience and gain advantage in a transition that is already underway.
The question Electrify Queenstown kept asking - "if not now, when?" - feels more urgent than ever.