The EEA seeks out the people closest to the sector’s biggest challenges and brings their work straight to our members, free of charge. This year’s series spans three sessions:
- Powerco’s work on AI-driven forecasting and grid-edge connections
- Horizon Networks’ trial of an AI-based climate resilience platform
- New international research on consumer trust and equity from the University of Notre Dame
It is a chance to hear directly from the engineers, researchers, and innovators shaping where our industry is headed, well before the ideas reach the wider market.
These sessions will focus on how Aotearoa New Zealand’s electricity sector is adapting to a faster-changing, more decentralised future. Each session brings practical insight from people working at the front line of the industry’s biggest challenges, from AI-driven forecasting and climate resilience to the consumer side of the energy transition.
Each session runs 11am-12pm on the dates shown below. There is no charge to attend for EEA members, but registration is required.
October session
Note: No September session due to EEA2026
Who Powers the Future? Consumer behaviour, pricing, and trust in Aotearoa New Zealand’s electricity transition
When: Tuesday 13 October 2026, 11am-12pm
Presented by: Baxter Kamana-Williams from the University of Notre Dame
Description: Decisions on pricing, distributed generation and demand-side management will shape who benefits, and who doesn’t, as New Zealand’s electricity system decentralises. This session looks at the often-overlooked consumer side of that equation.
Baxter Kamana-Williams presents new research across five key areas: behavioural dynamics, electricity pricing, distributed generation and storage, energy efficiency, and consumer trust. He’ll explore why demand-side management is more complex than it looks, how pricing and DG policy can advance or undermine equity, and why consumer trust is critical to whether energy policy succeeds.
Who should attend: Energy policy professionals, regulators, distribution network operators, demand-side management practitioners, and anyone interested in energy equity and the residential consumer experience.