December 07, 2023
Solar powering back to whenua moves
A company making solar panel kits is offering whānau Māori an opportunity to return home to areas off the power grid.
This week GridFree announced it was giving the Webb whānau from south Hokianga a kit in its third annual off-grid solar power giveaway.
GridFree founder Craig Simpson says between a quarter and a third of its customers are Māori settling on whānau-owned land blocks.
“There’s this really neat trend of people going back to the whenua, getting out of the suburban life and creating a new life. And so you go back there. It’s quite cool they’re bringing that land back to life again,” he says.
For the giveaway, people were asked to submit stories about why they need a GridFree kit.