Powering Hawke's Bay
Learn about power across the Hawke's Bay region.
Keen to join Meridian today?
If you’re simply looking for a new power provider for your home or business, here’s why we’re the choice for so many in the Hawke's Bay region:
With all that sun, is solar an easy choice in Hawke's Bay? What’s the region like for EV drivers? And how can orchards, vineyards and farmers get their energy needs met better? We cover these topics in this full guide.
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Flexible and customised plans
Power your home or business on your terms with our flexible Freedom Plan or enjoy price certainty with our Fixed Rate Plan. Tailor your energy plan to fit your needs. We offer options for EV owners and a competitive solar buy-back rate.
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Innovative electric vehicle support
Our EV plans make home and business charging easy and convenient. To help when you're out and about, join Zero – one of the country's largest EV charging networks powered by Meridian, with more than 300 charge points.
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Community commitment and support
We’re dedicated to making a positive impact in our communities. From the Kākāpō Recovery Programme to supporting KidsCan and communities that are striving to do good things with our Community Decarbonisation Fund, we invest in initiatives that matter.
Get a custom price online
Generating power for Hawke's Bay
Homes, businesses and farms across the region rely on the national grid for their energy consumption. There’s also a growing number of private solar power solutions being used both commercially and residentially. Generation comes from a mixture of renewable sources like hydro-electric and a much smaller percentage of non-renewable sources. The energy that Meridian generates is 100% renewable.
Speaking of our generation, did you know that the Hawke's Bay is home to our newest wind farm - Harapaki? Located within the Maungaharuru Range (approximately 35 kilometres northwest of Napier). This 41-turbine wind farm is New Zealand’s second-largest wind farm was completed in July 2024 and generates enough energy for more than 70,000 homes. You can find out more about our Harapaki wind farm here.
We’re excited to see another large, renewable energy source be completed in Aotearoa!
Weather and power in Hawke's Bay
We were deeply saddened at the events of Cyclone Gabrielle and the losses it created for the region. Its impact will be felt for some time. These weather events present infrastructure many challenges, including access to power and outages.
In typical conditions, the Hawke's Bay is one of the sunniest places in the country with upwards of 2,250 sunshine hours a year. This makes it an excellent place for growers. Summers are typically warm and dry, whereas winters are usually mild with some wet weather.
Winter in Hawke's Bay is typically where the usage spikes across the year, with homes and businesses needing a degree of heating on colder days. It’s not a humid part of the country, so there’s less energy used around regulating air moisture inside the home compared to more humid northern parts of New Zealand. However, those hot, dry summer days are often cause for cooling internally, which demands electricity usage.
The climate is ideal for orchards and other agriculture
So good for solar
As one of the sunniest parts of the country, combined with average temperatures that don't typically hit extremes, it's ideal for solar power (with a few qualifiers).
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Off-the-grid
Getting solar energy installed on your home or business in Hawke’s Bay can mean plenty of energy that doesn’t demand the national power grid. This may mean good savings on your monthly power bill and offers some continuity in the event of a power cut. If your goal is to be more sustainable, it’s also a 100% renewable source.
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Space for the sun
Solar power isn’t right for everyone, and you will need to make sure you’ve got the space available for it on your roof or elsewhere on your property. A professional assessment from a reputable solar provider should help to determine the scale of system you can accommodate.
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Region-friendly
Whether you’re looking to power a suburban Hastings home, an art deco gallery in Napier or a farm in Waipawa, it’s worth exploring if solar energy could deliver long-term savings for you. Savings from your power bill long term need to be weighed up against the cost of the equipment and installation. You should also consider whether having a battery as part of the system is worth it for nighttime usage.
EV ownership
The question of whether to go EV or not is on many car buyers’ minds. A bit like solar, the answer isn’t the same for everyone. It can come down to your own situation, driving habits and budget. But location is another factor to consider.
In Hawke’s Bay, the driving can vary from slower, inner city driving to getting up muddy farm tracks. Towns like Napier make for pretty good EV areas, thanks to their layout and compact nature. That’s not to say an EV would be out of place at a vineyard, either. In 2023, 10% of all new light vehicles registered were EV.
Keep in mind that ‘going electric’ isn’t currently right for everyone, and the industry is still evolving. We know that some rural-based motorists are introducing electric, but many others still demand the durability and towing capacity of diesel or petrol vehicles. There’s plenty of work being done to bring more electric options to the utility and 4x4 market, so we could see things change in the coming years.
You can charge your EV at home at a better rate with Meridian’s EV plan.
Building or developing? Talk to us
Are you building your new home or involved in a sub-development in the Hawke’s Bay region? You’ll want to give the lines company and power retailer plenty of warning.
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Step one:
If you’re working with a building company and project manager, they will likely take care of the planning stage. If that’s you, you’ll want to chat with the lines company here in Hawke’s Bay (this varies across the area). They’ll be able to assess and quote for the work.
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Step two:
Are you planning to be a Meridian customer? You should contact us for help around connection date and billing for move-in.
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Step three:
The lines company will carry out the work through a trusted contractor in most cases. They will usually be coordinated with any other earthworks or trench digging, so that other cabling can go in at the same time.
Power outage support
Power gone out in your local area? Check for your local lines company’s updates. You can find your lines company in Hawke’s Bay on our outage page. The lines company can give you an idea on when the restoration might be completed through status updates on their website or by phone.
If you’ve got an outage in your home only, and you’re a customer, give Meridian a ring. If you’re not a customer, give your current retailer a call. Don’t go near the electrical wiring or power box without a professional electrician!
Better power for business
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Business power plans
Meridian offers different power plans to suit your needs. We’re ideal for both small and large businesses across the Hawke’s Bay region.
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EV chargers for your site
Looking to offer the convenience of EV charging for your business’ visitors? Need to keep the team fleet powered? Meridian helps to plan, install and support your own onsite EV charging points.
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Bring costs down with solar
Meridian partners with your business to develop a solar energy solution at scale. This includes large-scale solar panel infrastructure and a great buy-back plan to deliver even more savings on your power bill.
Make savings while the sun shines!
Powering Farms and Orchards
Sheep to beef, orange to apple, our farm plans and rural support just makes sense for agribusiness. We have dedicated plans for all main types of farming and growing. Along with our rural team and solar options, we make power work for you.
Power made easy for holiday homes
If you’re a Meridian customer for your main home and own a second holiday spot around the country, you can take advantage of our bach plan.
With the bach plan, you’ll only pay for energy you use - there’s no daily charge incurred. So your Napier retreat or Mahia Peninsula beach house's power bill won’t take the shine off your slice of the Kiwi dream.
Pay when you use it, save when you don’t
Let’s talk
Got questions? Our team is here to help. Let’s talk about a quote or a power plan that’s tailored just for you.