Newsletter - December 2025

Kia ora e te whānau,

As 2025 comes to a close, we want to thank everyone who has supported Electrify the Hutt throughout the year — from attending events and sharing our content, to helping make the Electrify the Hutt Expo such a success. Together we’ve grown a strong, practical, community-led movement for clean energy in the Hutt Valley.

Before we break for the holidays, here’s a look at what we’re planning for 2026.

🌞 What’s Coming in 2026

We’re shaping a busy and ambitious year focused on electrification, resilience, and community action.

1. Lobbying & Advocacy

We’ll be pushing for practical policy change during the year, with a special push for getting candidates in the general election to adopt policies supportive of electrification.

2. Commercial & Industrial Electrification

Finding ways to encourage business and commercial building owners to start or continue their electrification journey.

3. Community Engagement & Promotion

Focusing on story-telling and presentation of case studies via our social media and website blog posts.

4. Expo 2026

Consideration of an option to run a second Electrify Expo, in collaboration with Wellington or Porirua Electrify groups.

5. Solar on Public Buildings

We’ll attempt to get a public demonstration of solar on a building such as a library or other civic building.

6. Support for Renters

We’re exploring options for solar and battery solutions for rental properties and looking to promote a pilot programme to help low-income households access solar.

7. Community Resilience

Work will continue on solar-powered community hubs, a community-run radio station, a solar-backed mesh communication network, and practical guidance on staying resilient during outages

8. Electric House & Solar Tours

We’re planning house and garden-style tours where residents can see electrified homes, learn from owners, and explore real-world solar and battery installations.

9. Advisory & Education

Next year we will build a library of resources to support people wanting to learn about electrification or to start their electrification journey. This will include case studies and workshops, independent advice for households considering solar, a directory of suppliers, ROI and payback guidance (including the Rewiring Aotearoa calculator), and tutorials for getting the most from home batteries.

10. Expo 2025 Follow-Up

We’ll report on our six-month survey results and share insights with partners including Rewiring Aotearoa, Hutt City Council, Wellington Electricity, and other community groups.

🙌 Want to Help in 2026?

If any of the initiatives above spark your interest — whether it’s research, writing, planning events, technical advice, or community outreach — we’d love to have you involved.

Just reply to this email, or contact us through our website (https://electrifythehutt.nz/contact)

🎄 Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays

Thank you for being part of this growing movement for a cleaner, smarter, more resilient Hutt Valley. We’ll be back with our next newsletter in February 2026 with updates and early-year announcements.

Meri Kirihimete and see you in the New Year!
— The Electrify the Hutt Team