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<\/p>\nWaitara’s \u014cwae Marae is warning others to be wary when converting to solar energy after an over-engineered installation led to an electricity bill blow-out.<\/p>\n
Poor advice and industry assumptions made the solar installation on \u014cwae’s new wharekai in Taranaki unnecessarily expensive, said Manukorihi P\u0101 Trust secretary Roina Graham.<\/p>\n
The sobering caution was given at He Ahi K\u0101, He Ao Hou, a community-focused conference leading into the Aotearoa Energy Summit in New Plymouth this week.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Graham said the p\u0101 had hoped to save money with solar, but instead monthly bills had risen from $400 to as much as $2000.<\/p>\n
Trustees called in local renewable energy experts to assess the system.<\/p>\n
They found an expensive 300kVA transformer with excessive capacity had been installed.<\/p>\n
Graham said that size of transformer would usually serve 70 houses.<\/p>\n
“Why would you install that on the marae, attached to the kitchen?<\/p>\n
“I don’t know. I’m still dumbfounded.”<\/p>\n
![\"Roina](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/4JGRNBT_Summit_261012_Roina_Graham_Ruka_Te_Moana_jpg.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n
Roina Graham and Ruka Te Moana said \u014cwae was surprised by big bills after the solar install.<\/p>\n
Supplied \/ Te Korimako o Taranaki<\/p>\n
The marae also had its fixed lines charge bumped up to a pricier level, as the high peak of electricity use during events like tangihanga meant it was regarded as a business.<\/p>\n
\u014cwae was charged that business-rate lines charge, despite sitting dormant most days – unlike a typical business.<\/p>\n
The installer HEL Rimu Electrical said the project’s external engineer specified the large transformer.<\/p>\n
Managing director Callum Margetts said the capacity was intended to serve potential new housing or other future buildings on the p\u0101.<\/p>\n
“What’s not explained – and we see this a lot – is the actual line charges that come with having a large transformer like that,” Margetts said.<\/p>\n
“I’m talking about your monthly ongoing costs of having the capability to have that energy provided to a site.”<\/p>\n
On top of that, \u014cwae had no contract to sell power back to the grid, so the marae’s electricity retailer simply took the excess solar generation without payment for three years.<\/p>\n
Eventually the retail supplier refunded the lost earnings for taking the excess power – but the business lines charge and over-specified transformer remained.<\/p>\n
Finally, when any solar panel on the wharekai roof was shaded the entire array connected to it would also quit generating.<\/p>\n
Graham said marae trustees or administrators needed to fully understand every aspect of planned solar installations and must keep a close eye on the roll-out.<\/p>\n
“You need that knowledge on how things work within your own marae.”<\/p>\n
Ruka Te Moana of renewable-energy company Te Piringa P\u016bngao was one of the experts called in to figure out what went wrong.<\/p>\n
“This isn’t an isolated incident,” he told the conference.<\/p>\n
He advised other marae to be cautious.<\/p>\n
“We’ve got awesome organisations like Rewiring Aotearoa, Solar Sense and T\u016b Mai Ra Energy that are going around helping wh\u0101nau [to avoid] unintended consequences, stuff like this happening.”<\/p>\n
But Te Moana said that was not enough and systemic change was needed to bring fair charging options for marae.<\/p>\n
“We’re educating our wh\u0101nau to operate in a space that isn’t changing: the space actually needs to change.”<\/p>\n
Te Moana said funding bodies increasingly demanded feasibility studies for solar projects, to avoid the need for remedial work.<\/p>\n
\u014cwae was working out how to avoid the worst impacts through measures like making sure batteries handle the brunt of peak power demand.<\/p>\n
Going off-grid was being considered and might end up the best option.<\/p>\n
Te Moana said the new Ng\u0101motu Marae being built in New Plymouth could learn lessons from \u014cwae’s experience.<\/p>\n
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