Our Plan
WE Share — Our 10-Year Community Energy Plan
A simple guide to how WE Share grows over the next decade.
WE Share is helping Waiheke build a fairer, more resilient, community-led energy future. This plan outlines, in clear everyday language, the practical steps we can take together over the next 10 years — from early foundations to long-term community ownership.
It shows how WE Share will grow household participation, strengthen local resilience, support energy independence, and create fairer, more transparent outcomes for everyone on the island.
This plan is for everyone on Waiheke, and anyone who wants to be part of it is welcome.
Getting the Foundations in Place
Where We Are Now
Visible Developments
- Waiheke's virtual power plant (VPP) participation framework coming into place
- More homes installing solar and batteries
- First resilience hubs opening
- Early energy "nodes" where neighbours coordinate power
- Clear, simple ways for residents to take part
- Solar + battery installations & upgrades for schools, halls & clubs
- Youth teams supporting outreach and engagement
- First community battery + emergency hub model developed
Behind the Scenes
- EA Sandbox and university research partnerships progressing
- Data ethics and participation frameworks completed
- Partnership alignment across the energy sector
- Support pathways for low-income households underway
- Growing local installer workforce and training pathways
- Co-op structure and roles designed
- Community-owned solar farm(s) planning and models explored
A stable, values-aligned foundation for long-term community energy.
Expanding & Coordinating Across the Island
Visible Developments
- Many more homes joining the coordinated system
- New opportunities to better manage and potentially reduce costs
- Community batteries placed in key locations
- Additional local resilience hubs
- More daytime solar used locally instead of exported cheaply
- A growing local energy workforce
- First community-scale solar/storage assets with local ownership options
Behind the Scenes
- Co-op roles funded and operational
- Transparent, privacy-safe energy dashboards
- Flexibility revenue (where achieved) directed to community benefit
- Expanded hardship and support programmes
- Stronger collaboration with grid and sector partners
A coordinated island-wide energy system where participation improves resilience and supports fairer costs.
BUILDING MORE LOCAL ENERGY OPTIONS FOR WAIHEKE
Visible Developments
- Additional small community-owned solar sites (where viable)
- Expansion of community batteries
- Stronger resilience hubs with enhanced backup
- Shared EV chargers as community needs grow
- More neighbourhood clusters participating
- A growing local energy workforce
- Better tools for managing and reducing energy costs
- Homes staying powered longer during outages
- More stable local installation and technical jobs
Behind the Scenes
- Coordinated generation + storage planning
- Island-wide resilience mapping and upgrades
- Lower peak demand and improved local self-reliance
- Transparent co-op reporting
- Long-term upgrade pathways established
By Year 7, Waiheke has multiple community-owned energy assets, stable neighbourhood nodes, and stronger resilience
A STRONG, COMMUNITY-OWNED ENERGY SYSTEM
Visible Developments
- A stable community energy co-op established
- Long-term savings potential for participating households
- Community-owned solar + storage forming a local energy backbone
- New options such as EV fleets, marina charging, micro-generation hubs
- A well-coordinated system for homes, businesses, and community spaces
Behind the Scenes
- Flexibility + avoided cost revenue (where achieved) returned to community benefit
- Intergenerational training & leadership pathways
- Continuous resilience strengthening
- Ongoing alignment with the grid while staying independent
- A steady, long-term framework for community ownership
A mature, community-owned energy system — fair, resilient, locally controlled, and built to adapt over time.
Whether you’re joining with a solar system, using a resilience hub, renting or owning a home, or simply staying informed, you’re part of a community choosing to take more control of its energy future.
WE Share provides the framework. The community shapes the outcomes.
Together we’re building a smarter, fairer, more resilient Waiheke — one step at a time.