The WE Share Blueprint
A Living Framework for Community-Owned Energy Systems
Disclaimer: The WE Share Blueprint is stewarded by the Platform One Foundation Charitable Trust. It offers a values-aligned structure that helps communities understand the principles behind community-owned energy participation. It is shared publicly at a high level for transparency and learning. The full Blueprint is protected intellectual property and available only through our Licensing & Sharing Model →
What the Blueprint Is
The WE Share Blueprint is a guiding framework — not a technical manual or operational plan. It outlines the principles, protections, and values that shape how communities can approach local energy participation.
It helps communities think about ownership, decision-making, trust, and long-term benefit without prescribing specific products or systems. The Blueprint is designed to be adaptable so each community can interpret the model in a way that suits its own context.
The Blueprint describes how local ownership, equitable design, and distributed energy can combine to form a resilient community energy ecosystem.
It’s how we move from isolated pilot projects to a repeatable model any community can adapt.
Why It Exists
Most energy systems are built around centralised control, limited transparency, and financial models that take value out of communities.
The WE Share Blueprint exists to flip that logic and demonstrates a different approach: one that centres people, local benefit, clear values, and community oversight. It provides broad guidance across key areas such as technology, governance, participation, data protection, and fair financial pathways.
Its purpose is to help communities understand the landscape, protect their interests, and make informed choices.
How the Blueprint Evolves
The Blueprint reflects decades of governance, community-development, and systems-research work undertaken through Platform One. The work on Waiheke contributes current insights and context, but does not define the origins of the Blueprint.
The Blueprint continues to mature through insights contributed by community participants, aligned partners, and researchers. These learnings refine principles, clarify boundaries, and strengthen the safeguards that protect community wellbeing and integrity.
High-Level Framework Areas
To support understanding, the Blueprint recognises several broad areas that commonly shape community-aligned energy work:
- Governance & Participation – Ensuring communities have transparent, values-aligned ways to make decisions.
- Technical Considerations – Understanding how local energy technologies can support community goals.
- Financial Inclusion – Enabling pathways that support broad participation.
- Data Protection – Keeping community information safe, consent-led, and transparent.
- Adaptation & Learning – Supporting communities to reflect, adapt, and evolve over time.
Stewardship and Custodianship
The Blueprint is held by the Platform One Foundation Charitable Trust. Community input flows into the Trust through specific project circles, which provide values guidance, community perspective, and accountability.
Platform One’s role is to safeguard the Blueprint’s intent, protect its independence, and ensure all use remains aligned with community-defined values. The Trust does not run programmes or direct activity — it maintains the protective structure that keeps the Blueprint community-centred and non-extractive.
Sharing and Responsible Adaptation
The Blueprint is available at a high level to support understanding. Communities wishing to explore or adapt the model follow the Licensing & Sharing Model, which ensures:
- Recognition of the origin community.
- Non-commercial, values-aligned use.
- Protection of core principles.
- Mutual learning across communities.
Looking Ahead
The Blueprint will continue to evolve through community insight, aligned partner knowledge, and ongoing stewardship. It remains a living, protective framework designed to strengthen collective capability while safeguarding the values it was built on. It is a living commons — a framework that grows stronger the more it’s shared, discussed, and refined together.