New Zealand’s transition to a low-carbon economy will not be driven by one technology or policy, but by how well we align three interconnected systems at a minimum: energy, transport, and the built environment. The convergence of these sectors represents one of the most powerful levers for growth in economic efficiency, climate resilience, and social equity in the decade ahead.
The opportunity is clear. Buildings are no longer passive assets — they’re becoming intelligent nodes in a distributed energy network. Vehicles are evolving into mobile batteries. And workplaces, stations, and community hubs can double as charging and energy-sharing points. Yet, unlocking these synergies demands a strategic shift in how and where we build.
Location will define impact. To manage peak electricity demand, more charging options at workplaces, transport interchanges, and park-and-ride sites could lower early evening use. This not only smooths the load on the national grid but helps defer big national grid infrastructure costs that only serve those peaks. Complementary measures, from wider adoption of heat pumps and efficient building design to smarter retail pricing plans that reward off-peak use, can further flatten demand while improving affordability.
Supply chains will define pace. The global surge in electrification is tightening competition for materials, technology, and skills. Can we in Aotearoa afford a reactive stance? Strategic planning — backcasting from a clear sustainability vision — will ensure long-term infrastructure, finance, and policy decisions reinforce each other through the transition to a low-emissions, bright future. We must be prepared to fund higher upfront costs, minimised by innovative thinking, to secure the superior lifetime returns of resilient, low-carbon systems. This seems to be exactly what Infrakiwi is now proposing.
Equity will define success. As Social Value International founder Jeremy Nicholls challenged: “Why are we talking about buying more EVs, rather than asking whether we need a car at all?” If new technologies widen inequality, we’ve missed the point. Shared mobility, community energy models, and inclusive design will deliver greater social return than narrow, consumption-based approaches.
Technology will define flexibility. Virtual power plants, vehicle-to-grid systems, and dynamic pricing are already transforming how energy flows across homes, workplaces, and fleets. Together, they create an agile, data-driven ecosystem that balances supply and demand in real time — reducing emissions, costs, and pressure on national infrastructure.
This is what good growth looks like:
Integrating systems rather than isolating them; designing for equity as much as efficiency; planning not just for the next few years, but for the next generations.
At the Good Growth: Rewired, Rerouted, Revalued event hosted by Tonkin + Taylor in September, leaders Cathy Bebelman (Auckland Transport), Andrew Eagles (NZGBC), Mark Yates (Ecotricity) and Jeremy Nicholls (Social Value International), joined Karen Speight and Simon Harvey from Tonkin + Taylor to explore how this convergence is already taking shape — and how collective, cross-sector action can transform the way Aotearoa builds, moves, and powers itself.
The message was clear: the tools exist, the economics add up, and the future is waiting. What matters now is having the courage to build it.
