The Waikato Affordable Energy Challenge - Webinar Series

Waikato Affordable Energy Webinar Series: June to November 2026

The Waikato sits at the heart of New Zealand’s electricity system—home to major hydro generation along the Waikato River, extensive geothermal resources, and large-scale thermal generation at Huntly. Wind and solar are also expanding rapidly.

Yet despite this abundance, electricity is becoming less affordable for many households and businesses. These rising costs flow directly into household budgets, reducing what is available for essentials such as housing, food, education and healthcare.

This webinar series is designed to cut through the complexity—building a clear, practical understanding of how the electricity system works, what drives reliability, sustainability and affordability, and what a more affordable and abundant future could look like. Across the series, speakers will explore key questions:

1. How does the electricity system actually work—and why is it designed this way?

2. What drives power prices, and how could they be made more affordable?

3. How does energy affordability affect household and community wellbeing?

4. What would a better system look like—and how do we get there?

We were delighted to open the series on 10 June with economist Geoff Bertram, who provided a clear and compelling foundation—explaining how the current system operates, how prices are set, and what structural changes could bring them down.

Watch Geoff’s presentation here: https://youtu.be/VS_Bl2_OmGk

We are now pleased to announce the full speaker lineup. Contributors will bring a range of perspectives from across the sector. We do not expect complete agreement—and that is deliberate. This series is intended to surface different views on both the challenges and the solutions.

Except for the final session on 4 November, webinars will be held fortnightly on Wednesdays at 11am:

24 June: Rachel Afeaki, Chair: WEL Energy Trust

8 July: Mike Casey, CEO: Rewiring Aotearoa

22 July: Jonathan Kay, Chair: Waipa Networks

5 August: Manu Barrett, CEO: Solar Sense Ltd

19 August: Qiulae Wong, Leader: The Opportunity Party

2 September: Simon Bridges, CEO: Auckland Chamber of Commerce

16 September: Rob Johnson, Ezra Hirawani, Founders: Nau Mai Ra

24 September: John Campbell, Our Energy

30 September: Kelli Pike, Activator for Community Led Zero Waste: GoEco

14 October: Gareth Cartwright, Executive Officer: Community Energy Network

21 October: Stew Hamilton, CEO of Mercury NZ

28 October: David Wilson, Member of Parliament: New Zealand First

4 November: Blair Dickie, Principal Strategic Advisor: Waikato Regional Council

All events will be streamed live and hosted by Harvey Brookes (Executive Director, Wellbeing Waikato) and Ernie Newman (Independent Competition Consultant).

You are welcome to join individual sessions or follow the full series.

All presentations will be recorded and made available on our website.

For further information, please contact:
Harvey Brookes
harvey@wellbeingwaikato.org.nz