Shifting the sustainability needle using solar
It’s a sunny day in Hastings today! Go figure. Nick Stewart reaches for his phone as he anticipates that the power generated through Stewart Group’s Te Rehe Solar Network will have already exceeded their daily expectations. Tapping into their configured monitoring app is something he looks forward to, in fact.
Even on a dull day, with cloud cover, we make enough to sustain the operation of our business.
— Nick Stewart, CEO & Financial Adviser, Stewart Group.
The Te Rehe Solar Network has its roots steeped in history but with an eye very much to the future. The name, Te Rehe, pays homage to Nick’s paternal fifth great-grandfather. Te Rehe was a Ngāi Tahu rangatira from the Ngāti Huirapa 'Arowhenua' hapū during the time of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
The name came easily to us because it held our business taonga. And it serves as a reminder of our commitment to kaitiakitanga (guardianship and protection) for our people, clients and community.
But community and sustainability are nothing new for the Stewart Group. Embedding environmental, social, and cultural principles into their business come hand in hand with how they conduct decision-making for themselves and their customers. Whether reducing their emission exposure with their electromobility fleet or producing all their operational energy using solar, their sustainability values are ever-present, guiding their mahi in measurable and unmeasurable ways.
There is not an inch of our roof that has not yet been utilised. We’re constantly looking for more ways to reduce our (emissions) footprint.
The vastness of their solar installation is something to celebrate and feel proud of—quite the sight from an aerial viewpoint.
We began our solar process by using it to power our Hastings office, exporting any excess back to the grid. But Our Energy helped us take that extra step from being a net exporter to a community network.
With 14 business and residential properties already on the network and five more in the onboarding process, “and we’re off” comes to mind. A first of its kind in New Zealand, and potentially even globally, this kind of community energy network is the way of the future! The hope is that The Stewart Group will continue to expand its business connections initially, installing more solar panels across the region with the Te Rehe Network becoming a means to share–and eventually gift–excess energy across the community. This is smart business in the making!
At the core of everything we do is a desire to help people. This is another way for us to do that while doing something good for the environment. We have no revenue incentive – we’re just moving the environmental needle up a notch.
A family business through and through, Nick’s brother-in-law introduced him to Our Energy’s Founder and CEO, John Campbell, and the stars very much aligned. Our Energy immediately embraced the opportunity to engage with The Stewart Group, supporting them with the software and design configuration that would, in turn, enable their vision of a clean, community-driven energy solution. Something that Our Energy lives and breathes daily.
It’s pretty special seeing what Stewart Group are able to do with our platform - customers creating energy communities for themselves. The Te Rehe Solar Network represents a shining example of what we envisaged achieving from Our Energy’s ‘Day 1’. We know that smart, local energy systems can and will be an integral part of Aotearoa New Zealand’s decarbonisation journey - Te Rehe is doing it now, and with our help.
— John Campbell, Founder & CEO, Our Energy.
The goal? To have the community powered with between 85-95% of Hawkes Bay sunshine by Christmas!
We are already at 42%, and it’s mid-winter.
The immediate opportunity for the Group and its network is to maximise their output and shift the solar goalposts with the help of more surrounding businesses, partners and people. An epic process of working collaboratively for real and lasting change. Something that gives back to the community. Something that can become a shared sense of purpose with like-minded people.
This enabled us to have deeper sustainability conversations with our clients. I won’t say there is an end goal because we want to keep going. As a company, we have long championed operating ethically and upholding our legacy towards corporate and social responsibility. I think opportunities like the Te Rehe Solar Network and our Simply Sustainable™ initiative help us illustrate that we’re not just ticking boxes. We’re – pardon the pun – invested in the future.
Stewart Group work hard to walk the talk wherever possible. And where it isn’t possible, they just get on and commence the brainstorming process to elaborate on ways we can all do better. The Te Rehe Solar Network is a huge step in the right direction toward the future Nick and his team envision.
It’s been very exciting to show people that sustainability goes far beyond optics for us. It’s a big part of who we are and how we operate.
Ngā mihi Stewart Group. Your Te Rehe Solar Network is something we believe other organisations and local businesses can truly get on board with. While it might be a first in the Hawke’s Bay, it will by no means be the last for New Zealand if Our Energy has anything to do with it!