Responding to energy hardship in Hawkes Bay
Rev Jill McDonald, minister at St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Hastings, NZ, writes about the initiative to alleviate energy hardship which she and her husband Chris are involved in.
The Reality of Energy Hardship
When my husband Chris and I moved to Hawkes Bay from Oamaru in 2017, we were struck by two things - the amount of sun that is enjoyed in this region and secondly, the huge gap between the rich and poor– a chasm divided by both ethnicity and geography.
Energy Hardship is something affects so many people here in Hawkes Bay, as it does across all of New Zealand where more than 100,000 households struggle to pay their power. The impacts are huge. Some people turn off their hot water cylinders to keep costs down. Instead of showering they wash themselves with a basin of water. In winter pensioners sit in cold houses in their sleeping bags cuddling a hot water bottle. It’s common for families to gather all their mattresses into the lounge and bunk down together to keep warm. They are fearful of getting a power bill they can’t afford to pay.
As electricity prices rise Energy Poverty is going to become more and more of an issue for people in our community.
The Ripple Effect of Energy Poverty
There are many consequences. Poorly heated homes see people getting sick more often. Sick kids have lower education attendance and they tend to have lower levels of school achievement. Sick people have difficulties staying in employment. Unemployed people have difficulty maintaining stable accommodation.
It is also incredibly expensive being poor. You are more likely to buy electricity on a prepaid account which costs more. When your power is cut off it costs at least a hundred bucks to have it reconnected. That’s pretty tough when the money has already run out.
Residential electricity prices are climbing at an average rate of 2.5 percent per annum ABOVE the rate of inflation. Over the past decade, electricity prices have soared by 42%. Power prices will continue going up. They are predicted to double in the next 30 years.
Solar Power: A Solution to the Problem
Chris has a background in the electricity industry and with the support of St Andrews Presbyterian Church in Hastings, we came up with the idea of building a solar farm to provide cheap electricity to low-income households. As we have socialised this idea we have connected with many key people who were keen to draw on their God-given gifts and their nous in order to change lives. With their input, the vision of what we are trying to achieve has grown. What started out as a plan to build a solar farm to benefit 400 households in Flaxmere now has the much loftier vision of ending energy hardship in Aotearoa!
A short movie showing the difference that solar panel installation has made to households.
A Transformative Experience
This project has been one of the most transformative things I have ever been involved with, as we have all brought our gifts to the table in order to make change. Learning to do things in the Te Ao Māori way has been incredibly life giving. The Pākehā way would have been to get up on the roof and get the solar panels on first thing each morning, but here we took time to connect, sing, pray and eat together first. That was a significant part of the mahi and it was life giving for all who were involved.
Overcoming Challenges: The Need for Solar Farms
While we were delighted to receive the funding from the government to put solar on those homes and it certainly has helped us in developing our kaupapa, the reality is that this is one of the least effective ways to end energy poverty. 70% people experiencing energy hardship in New Zealand don’t own their own homes. We had to reject 50% of the houses in our project because they weren’t suitable for solar. The roofs weren’t robust enough, the electrical wiring wasn’t adequate or they were shaded by trees. This is why we need to build solar farms.
Most people install solar as a commercial enterprise to save money on their own energy costs. What we are doing here is a social justice response to make a difference to the lives of those who are most vulnerable in our community.
Did you know that there is enough energy in the sun to power the world? The sun emits enough power onto Earth each second to satisfy the entire worlds energy demand for more than two hours.
“I liken solar energy to God’s love, there is more than enough for everyone. We just need to harness it and better share it around so that all people can flourish. After all that is what God longs for, for us all.”
A Broader Vision: Building Resilience in Communities
Chris now works as a Senior Advisor for MBIE focussed on renewable energy. In response to heightened weather events like Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023, which was devastating for our communities here in Hawkes Bay, a focus of their work is community emergency resilience. As a result, they have been rolling out solar energy installations on marae, schools, church and community halls to ensure power is available for all people in emergencies.
A short movie emphasising a focus on whakawhangaungataga, karakia and kai
as part of the solar panel installation process.
Resources:
You can contact Jill at: jill@standrewshastings.org.nz
Books
The Poverty and Justice Bible ; NZ Catholic Edition
Beyond the Good Samaritan. Ann Morisy. 2009, Continuum
Being Interrupted: Reimagining the Church's Mission from the Outside, In. Al Barrett and Ruth Harley. 2020. SCM Press
Podcasts
https://leadershiplab.co.nz/becoming-tangata-tiriti-panui/ - ‘Becoming Tangata Tiriti’, Fi Deehan and Gwyn John, two ‘non-Māori women’, explore ‘becoming, being Tangata Tiriti
https://open.spotify.com/show/6K6ne2JH0G8s3unXkeOgcj - Leaving Egypt by Al Roxburgh and Jenny Sinclair