Supporting our community
Counties Energy have proudly served our local communities since 1924 and we continue to actively support the communities in which we operate. Besides supporting initiatives relating to emergency services and safety, education, community events and local sports, we also fund programmes that will create a better future for our youth.
Read on to find out more about our current collaborations, areas of focus, and support opportunities for local community groups, initiatives, and whānau in need.
Pictured right: The Surf Life Saving Kariotahi team.
We’re proud to be your 100% locally owned lines company, and to continue playing our part in assisting community groups, programmes, and new initiatives, that will help our communities prosper.
We believe in the power of collaboration and actively seek to build strong connections with the communities we serve. Our current community partnerships are detailed below.
As a 100% consumer-owned company, we take our responsibility as a good corporate citizen seriously.
Over 110,000 Kiwis cannot afford to keep their home adequately warm* and that energy hardship (defined “when individuals, households, and whānau are unable to obtain adequate energy services to support their well-being in their home.”) in our communities is a cause of respiratory illness and poor physical and mental health.
Reducing energy hardship within our community is at the heart of our social responsibility and we currently have four major initiatives in place that provide real and targeted support to those who need it most. For more information on these initiatives please click here.
We also continue to fund, co-fund and partner with credible, experienced agencies on initiatives that will see the most beneficial impact on reducing energy hardship, supplying education and energy saving devices that will have a long-term effect. One such partnership we are currently exploring is pilot community energy schemes with government agencies to reduce energy hardship in the future. The schemes use renewable energy systems such as solar arrays (multiple solar panels linked together) and battery systems to supply energy to low-income homes.
Aotearoa New Zealand is transitioning to a fully renewable electricity grid, and Counties Energy is at the forefront of this. We’re reimagining the future of energy by making much broader decisions across our network and beyond, in a smarter, safer, more sustainable, reliable, and affordable way.
*Report on energy hardship measures, June 2023 – Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment