AWARDS FINALIST: Powerco – collaborating for a successful transition

Powerco says a series of initiatives during the past year demonstrate its commitment to innovation and its transition to a distribution system operator role.

The company's installation of pole-mounted batteries in Tauranga's Greerton is the country's first and will help improve power quality and meet peak demand, while reducing the need for costly infrastructure upgrades.

It is also unlocking network flexibility through collaboration with electricity retailers.

Powerco's trial last year enabled six retailers to control residential hot water cylinders using smart-meter technology, potentially lowering customers' bills while easing pressure on the grid.

Data transparency is another cornerstone of Powerco's strategy. Last year, the company launched an interactive high-voltage demand capacity map - one of the first of its kind in New Zealand.

The tool enables large customers and developers to assess network capacity in real time, supporting smarter investment decisions and accelerating decarbonisation efforts.

Redesign

Internally, Powerco has also undergone a major commercial restructuring, redesigning its electricity field-work contracts for the first time in more than a decade.

The new model introduces regional competition, improves service oversight and will help ensure the sector has access to enough trained contractors in the future.

Powerco says customer satisfaction is also on the rise, with the firm recording its best-ever quarterly result in the March quarter.

This improvement is underpinned by a systematic reliability plan that has helped push outages to a decade-low, thanks to innovations like drone inspections, AI-driven defect analysis, and advanced vegetation management.

Powerco's commitment to people and place is equally strong. Its leadership development programme, grounded in te ao Māori values, has been recognised nationally for its impact on diversity and inclusion.

Meanwhile, a landmark project along the Whanganui River demonstrated how respectful engagement can help deliver better local infrastructure and better outcomes for hapū and local communities.

The annual Energy Excellence Awards will be held in Wellington on 13 August. The Energy Distributor of the Year award is sponsored by Axos Systems.