Tama Toki has drawn inspiration from his upbringing on Aotea Great Barrier Island. Photo / Supplied
Tama Toki has drawn inspiration from his upbringing on Aotea Great Barrier Island. Photo / Supplied
Tama Toki is on a mission to transform energy production across Aotearoa New Zealand.
Drawing from his upbringing on his whānau’s papakāinga on Aotea Great Barrier Island, Toki is determined to tackle the pressing issue of energy poverty in rural communities. Growing up on the island beside his kuia and kaumātua, Toki witnessed first hand the challenges residents faced due to the lack of a central utility to provide power.
“Without a utility to provide power on the island, the people there have to be self-sufficient,” Toki (Ngā Puhi and Ngāti Rehua) said.
“This necessity for self-reliance has led to a significant lack of energy security, making daily life and economic activities particularly difficult for the island’s inhabitants.”
In response to these challenges, Toki launched Aotea Energy, with the goal of making homes their own power plants.
Tama Toki is determined to tackle the pressing issue of energy poverty in rural communities.
He is developing home batteries and the software needed to manage these systems effectively. His innovative approach includes creating a peer-to-peer energy sharing grid specifically for those living on Great Barrier Island.
The system, powered by Tama’s software, aims to improve energy reliability and security for the community.
So far, Tama has successfully built prototype 10kWh batteries and the underlying software architecture. The next step is to install this technology into homes on Aotea this year.
“Our plan is to pilot this technology in Aotea homes and, if successful, scale it throughout the national grid infrastructure and bring it to market later this year,” Toki said.
Aotea Energy is at the forefront of creating smart home and grid storage systems, which are crucial for the electrification of the energy network.
Toki emphasises the traditional method of relying on extensive networks of poles and wires will not suffice to meet the goals of electrification over the next three decades.
“We can’t afford more poles and wires to meet our goals of electrification. Having only large power plants sending power in one direction will need to change,” he said.
Toki’s journey is supported by Creative HQ’s Climate Response Accelerator, which is reigniting the spark of cleantech innovation.
The 12-week programme brings together nine New Zealand start-ups, each with groundbreaking solutions to environmental challenges. From harnessing waste for power generation to creating sustainable materials from non-recyclable fibres, these start-ups are at the cutting edge of climate-focused innovation.
Joe Slater, of Creative HQ, which is reigniting the spark of cleantech innovation.
Joe Slater, general manager start-ups at Creative HQ, highlights the significance of the accelerator.
“Our ambition is not just to foster growth, but to craft an ecosystem where cutting-edge cleantech and climate ventures can thrive, scale, and address our planet’s most urgent challenges,” Slater said
The programme provides founders with access to mentors, coaches, industry experts, and a network of founders past and present to refine their businesses. On June 20, the accelerator will culminate in a showcase event where the start-ups will present their ventures. One standout start-up will secure a $100,000 investment deal from Motion Capital, a venture capital fund dedicated to supporting climate-positive initiatives.
Lachlan Nixon, founding partner at Motion Capital, is a strong advocate for supporting businesses that contribute to decarbonisation.
He explains that partnering with Creative HQ for the 2024 Climate Response Accelerator is a strategic move to fund the next generation of innovative start-ups tackling climate change.
“As part of the partnership, our support extends beyond money; we’ve also been collaborating with the Creative HQ team to shape and drive the accelerator, ensuring that the teams get the maximum benefit out of the programme,” he said.
With the support of Creative HQ and Motion Capital, Toki is poised to bring transformative change to Aotea Island and beyond.
His vision of turning homes into independent power plants not only addresses the immediate issue of energy poverty on the island, but presents a scalable solution for the national grid infrastructure.
As he prepares to pilot his technology this year, Toki’s innovative approach offers a beacon of hope for sustainable energy solutions in New Zealand and potentially worldwide.
