The Big Idea

What We’ve Done

• Supported more than 50 solar installations through early aligned participation, giving households real experience with local solar and battery systems.
• Worked alongside Our Energy to explore practical, community-aligned energy-sharing concepts.
• Held years of workshops, forums, and energy symposiums on Waiheke, helping shape priorities, design pathways, and build a shared understanding of community-led energy.

Note: WE Share does not install systems. Households and sites choose their own providers; WE Share supports coordination, information, and aligned pathways.

What We’re Doing Now

• Supporting a 50-unit solar + battery rollout, the next stage in building local capacity and preparing for future community energy benefits.
• Co-developing smart energy management pilots with Ecotricity, Vector, SEANZ, and other aligned partners — always within community-defined boundaries.
• Developing the open-source WE Share Community Energy Blueprint Toolkit, designed so other communities can learn from and adapt what works on Waiheke.
• Reducing system costs through scale partnerships, giving households access to community-negotiated pricing not normally available individually.
• Expanding funding options — including co-funding, lease-to-own, and shared-benefit models to support households and community sites.

What’s Being Planned

• Larger rooftop and site-based arrays for community facilities, commercial buildings, and multi-unit properties.
• Community-scale battery solutions to enhance resilience and reduce peak demand.
• Behind-the-meter coordination tools to help households and local sites use, store, and share energy more intelligently.
• Deeper collaboration pathways with retailers and lines companies to support community-led participation in future grid models.
• Cooperative investment and values-aligned funding options to ensure participation is open and inclusive — with no one locked out.