Celebrating 100 years of Energy in New Zealand

Come and join us at this exclusive event ‘Celebrating 100 years of Energy in New Zealand’ on Wednesday 11 October from 3-6pm at Chapman Tripp in the Auckland CBD.

The BusinessNZ Energy Council (BEC), representing the World Energy Council (WEC) here in New Zealand, are marking the centenary of the world energy community that was formed in 1923 ahead of the First World Power Conference which took place in London the following year.

Visionaries like Einstein and Planck have exemplified the spirit of the World Energy Council, where together, we address the most pressing energy challenges. Since its first days, we have built a deeply local and globally networked community that today works collaboratively in nearly 100 countries, progressing solutions, inspiring leadership action and promoting the sustainable supply and use of energy across the world.

Now it is time to celebrate impact in energy and shaping the next 100 years of progress!

This celebration seeks to galvanise the world energy community around transforming energy systems at speed and at scale, activating for a cleaner, better future for billions of better lives and one healthy planet.

In Auckland, we will celebrate the achievements and challenges of the past, present, and future of energy in New Zealand.

You will be joining speakers who have made significant contributions to the development and innovation of energy in our country. The event will be broken down into four speakers discussing four separate periods: the 1920s-1950s, 1960s to 1984, 1984 to 2000s, and 2000s onwards.

Speakers include:

Tina Schirr – Executive Director, BusinessNZ Energy Council /World Energy Council New Zealand
Tina will set the scene talking about some of the major milestones that happened in energy around the world.

Rebecca Turner – Family Director, Board of Directors – Todd Corporation
Rebecca will focus on Todd’s contribution to the development of the NZ energy sector, particularly in the 50’s and 60’s with the Taranaki exploration and production involving her grandfather, Sir Brian Todd.

David Reeve – Director Whiteboard Energy
David will delve into what the sector looked like leading up to the 1950s, detailing how it produced, delivered, and consumed energy over time, exploring the challenges and opportunities faced during this time.

John Boshier – Company Director and author of Power Surge: how Think Big and Rogernomics transformed New Zealand
John will provide insights from his book Power Surge, including the Think Big era which had profound economic, political, and social implications. The events leading up to Think Big, why Think Big happened, what it aimed to achieve, and of course, what do we mean when we refer to the Think Big era.

Dr Graham Scott – Former Secretary to the Treasury, former chair of the wholesale electricity market, Director Sapere
Graham will talk about the period of reform experienced in the energy sector from 1984 to the 2000s, including the reform and restructuring that occurred, and what it aimed to achieve.

Further Speakers invited but yet to be confirmed:

• Page Crahan – GM at X moonshot factory
• Isabelle Chambefort, Energy Future Theme Leader at GNS Science

Page and Isabelle are invited to talk about today’s energy system, including its successes, problems, and challenges, launching into a discussion about the next one hundred years of New Zealand’s energy sector.

The speeches will be followed by a discussion with the presenters.

The formal part will finish with a well-deserved celebration on how far we have come in the energy sector, including refreshments and the opportunity for networking with CEOs and energy leaders from across the sector.

A big thanks to Chapman Tripp for their sponsorship and providing us with this fantastic venue.

Wednesday 11 October
3pm-6pm
Chapman Tripp, Level 34/15 Customs Street West, Auckland

TICKETS ARE LIMITED SO BE IN QUICK!