Electrify Wairarapa Speakers
22nd - 23rd November 2024
Copthorne Solar-way Park
Experts in their fields speaking at Electrify Wairarapa Conference
Mike Casey (keynote)
Mike Casey is the CEO and Co-founder of Rewiring Aotearoa. Mike has a background in computer programming and founded a website that helped university students find their first job.
Rewiring Aotearoa combines research, communication and demonstration. Rewiring Aotearoa’s work accelerates the country’s equitable transition to a low-cost electrified economy.
Not only does Mike talk the talk, but he also walks the walk as an owner/operator of Forest Lodge Orchard near Wānaka, alongside his wife, producing cherries without the use of fossil fuels.
Mike is deeply passionate about being proactive in creating solutions to reduce the impact of the climate crisis, as well as sharing his learnings and supporting others who are willing to go against the status quo.
Geoff Simmons (keynote)
Geoff is the chief economist at the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment. He has worked as an economist for the Productivity Commission, the UK Home Office and New Zealand Treasury and served as general manager at Toi Mai Workforce Development Council and the Morgan Foundation. Geoff has also co-authored four books, two of which included a focus on environmental economics issues.
Alan Brent (keynote)
Alan Brent is a Professor and the inaugural holder of the Chair in Sustainable Energy Systems at Te Wāhanga Ahunui Pūkaha Wellington Faculty of Engineering, Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington. He holds Bachelor degrees in Engineering (Chemical) and Philosophy (Sustainable Development); Master degrees in Science (Environmental Engineering), Engineering (Technology Management), and Philosophy (Sustainable Development); and a PhD in Engineering Management. He is a Fellow of Engineering New Zealand, and a member of the IEEE Power and Energy Society. More information can be found on the Chair’s website: https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/sustainable-energy-systems
Ralph Sims (keynote)
Professor Emeritus Ralph Sims began his energy research at Massey University in the early 1970s making and testing biodiesel, now a part of New Zealand’s renewable fuel mix. In 2001 while on the Board of the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA), he helped establish New Zealand’s first energy efficiency and renewable energy strategy.
From 2006 to 2010 he was seconded to the International Energy Agency in Paris. He chaired the panel of experts for the Royal Society of New Zealand’s 2016 publication ‘Transition to a low-carbon economy for New Zealand’.
He has been a lead author for five Mitigation Assessment Reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) that won the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize. This included leading three chapter author teams on ‘Energy Supply’(2007), ‘Renewable Energy Integration’ (2011) and ‘Transport’ (2015).
In 2013, Professor Sims was appointed to the Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel of the World Bank’s Global Environment Facility part-time for a 6-year term. He has also led
several report teams on energy, climate and food supply for the UN’s Food and Agricultural Organisation in Rome.
He became a Companion of the NZ Order of Merit in the King’s Birthday Honours list, 2023 for services to energy and climate
James Howard
Since James Howard joined Tranzit, an award-winning, New Zealand family-owned transport and tourism company operating throughout Aotearoa, he has worked in a variety of driving, operations and project management roles – with each one, bringing new ideas to the company.
James is also part of a small team leading Tranzit’s electric bus program and working with the energy sector to deliver critical charging infrastructure to help future proof the business. He most recently led Tranzit’s team that introduced New Zealand’s first 100% electric bus fleet into Palmerston North and is now researching options for a long-distance coach for the tourism sector.
After almost 100 years, Tranzit remains a New Zealand, family owned business with its roots proudly in Wairarapa. It operates in all bus, coach and tourism sectors thanks to its 2000 strong team; fleet of more than 2500 vehicles and 35+ depots nationwide.
Tony Pearson
Tony is a Marine Engineer, graduating with a Masters of Engineering Science from Oxford
University and a Masters of Business Systems from Massey University. He worked for the
Royal and NZ Navies for 13 years reaching Deputy Director of Marine Engineering and
continues to undertake part time work for the RNZN.
He became a chartered UK, NZ and International Engineer and has been in NZ since 1991. Tony joined the lighthouse service in 1995 to manage all NZ coastal lighthouses and has installed solar and wind power to many of New Zealand’s remote lighthouse sites.
In 1999 he set up his own company continuing with the maintenance of lighthouses and telecommunication sites. Over this period, he has developed the renewable energy aspect of the business providing alternative sustainable energy sources such as wind, solar, hydro and hydrogen for domestic, commercial and community power schemes.
Tony has spoken at international conferences. He is considered the New Zealand expert in small/medium wind and hybrid energy systems. He is passionate about making New Zealand a world leader in sustainable energy.
Garry Peek
Garry Peek is the founder and director of both Radium and Peek Robotics. Radium is a successful software company based in Lower Hutt and specialising in processing financial and loyalty transactions. Having stepped out of the day-to-day running of Radium a few years ago, Garry failed at retirement, due in part to Covid travel restrictions. This resulted in the founding Peek Robotics which allowed Garry to indulge his passion for all things tech.
Peek Robotics design and build autonomous platforms that leverage advances in vision processing, motor drive systems and battery technology.
Peek Robotics leverages advances in technologies such as vision processing, motor drive systems and battery technology to build autonomous platforms capable of diverse agricultural tasks. The prototype platform ‘Grover’ has the ability to scale and customise the mechanical chassis to meet a variety of environmental conditions and functional needs of users.
Jamie Silk
Jamie Silk is a strategic new energy, commercial innovation and finance (UK chartered accountant) specialist with 25 years industry experience in the UK, New Zealand and leading global distributed teams.
Silk Advisory and Innovation Ltd is helping business and community assess and act on the risks and opportunities created by climate change, social and technology transitions.
Jamie has expertise on clean energy; smart, transactive and/or renewable energy micro-grids; electricity networks, consumer engagement and the electric vehicle transition. Jamie has previously led the research and development team of a power utility focusing on innovation for disruptive new energy technologies. His expertise has been recognised in participation on several national and international expert advisory panels and working groups in the energy and finance sectors.
Murray Bell
Murray joined EECA in 2004, working in and managing a number of teams until 2012. He returned to EECA in March 2019 as Manager, Standards & Regulations, and became Group Manager in 2021.
He has had multiple roles including RMA Hearing Commissioner, Chair of the Porirua District Licensing Committee, and Ward Councillor for his local electorate, Kapiti Coast District Council. Murray holds an Honorary Bachelor of Civil Engineering.
Gareth Sinton
The Principal of Douglas Park School (primary) since 2017, Gareth’s relationship with the school goes back to 2004 when he started teaching. After a brief stint teaching in London, Gareth returned to Douglas Park School. He became a member of the senior leadership team in 2008 and the Principal in 2017.
Throughout his career at Douglas Park School Gareth has been an integral part of developing the school’s values, including play-based learning and sustainability.
Gareth decided that the school needed to go solar in an effort to reduce the cost of electricity for such a high usage space, improve resilience to power-outages - allowing the school to stay open during these events, and reduce the school’s carbon footprint. Afterall, the tamariki of the school need a healthy world to live in for their futures.
Matiu Taurau
Rangitāne, Ngāi Tahu, Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Kahungungu
Matiu has a wealth of international and local experience in business. Matiu was a Chartered Accountant from 2008 to 2022 at GHA as the Senior Associate. Matiu has led the development of investment advisory services, business development and delivery of consulting assignments for GHA. His role also included virtual management, organisational development and financial advisory.
John Prendergast
John has a long and established career in senior leadership roles including over 25 years as a successful chief executive across four substantial and diverse organisations, and a similar length of time in leadership roles across multiple community organisations. This includes the Catholic Archdiocese of Wellington, Presbyterian Support Southland, and the Community Trust of Southland – all of which have community at their centre.
His service to business and community has been recognised both at home and abroad. This recognition includes being awarded the City of New York University Senior Philanthropic Fellowship, and a Winston Churchill Fellowship.
Daniel Gnoth
Daniel leads a team of data scientists, story tellers and engineers to explore ways to facilitate our clean energy transition. Daniel has lead data science initiatives and is involved in a range of analytic and customer focused research projects at Powerco. He is a member of the World Energy Council Future Energy Leaders (FEL-100 alumni) and the Young Energy Professionals New Zealand (YEPN) steering committee. He joined the Powerco as a researcher on the Powering Tomorrows Homes project which investigated the energy management opportunities that smart home technologies could provide, as well as the way in which customers responded to targeted feedback and new pricing signals.
Daniel was previously a researcher with the Energy Cultures project. He was involved with the project from its inception, first as an assistant researcher and then during his PhD thesis. Daniel's thesis addressed how changes in material culture may influence how energy is used in the home. Moving presents a unique opportunity for energy-related behaviour changes, because it is at a time when people will be more likely to respond to changes in lifestyle, as well as appliance disposal and acquisition.
Electrify Wairarapa is the first in a series of electrification education events, including an event at Kaiwaiwai Dairies on 5 December 2024.
© Sustainable Wairarapa