Sunergise wins New Zealand trailblazer award for solar
Mon, 7th Sep 2026 (Today)
Sunergise has won the 2026 Sustainable Energy Association of New Zealand Trailblazer Award, which recognises its recent renewable energy projects across New Zealand and the Pacific.
The work cited includes a 5.3-megawatt rooftop solar installation at Fisher & Paykel Healthcare in East Tāmaki, a solar and battery project on Niue, a mounting rail system developed with Vulcan in Hamilton, and a 1.05-megawatt ground-mounted installation at Snowplanet in Silverdale.
Founded in Auckland in 2012, Sunergise operates through the Sunergise, PowerSmart and Clay Energy brands. The group works across 16 Pacific nations and combines project ownership, engineering and construction, and operations and maintenance within one business.
The Sustainable Energy Association of New Zealand says the Trailblazer Award honours leaders who move the industry forward through strategic foresight, action and major projects. For Sunergise, it adds to a tally of more than 30 industry prizes.
Project portfolio
Among the projects cited was what Sunergise described as New Zealand's largest rooftop solar installation at Fisher & Paykel Healthcare. The East Tāmaki system has a generation capacity of 5.3 megawatts.
The Niue project combines a 2.79-megawatt solar farm with 8.19 megawatt-hours of battery storage. Sunergise says the development puts the island nation on track to meet an 80 per cent renewable energy target.
The project also included a local workforce component. Sunergise says 80 per cent of onsite labour in Niue was sourced locally, and the work included a structured science, technology, engineering and mathematics education programme for the wider community, including primary and secondary schools.
Sunergise also highlighted its work with Vulcan in Hamilton on a low-carbon mounting rail system. Another project it named was the recently completed installation at Snowplanet, described as Australasia's only operating indoor ski venue.
Regional footprint
Sunergise has installed more than 50 megawatts of solar and 43 megawatt-hours of battery storage across New Zealand and the Pacific. It has also completed more than 200 commercial installations and delivered more than 20 microgrid and battery energy storage projects.
The group is backed by Tauhara North No. 2 Trust and employs 85 people across New Zealand and the Pacific. Its expansion from a single-country solar business to a regional operator reflects broader investment in distributed generation and storage across island markets, where diesel has long played a central role in electricity supply.
Commercial and public sector customers in the Pacific have increasingly turned to solar and battery systems as fuel costs, energy security concerns and decarbonisation targets drive procurement. In that context, developers with experience in both grid-connected commercial systems and remote microgrids have taken on a larger role in regional energy projects.
Sunergise's portfolio reflects that spread, from large commercial rooftops in New Zealand to utility-style systems in smaller Pacific markets. The combination of generation assets, storage and local workforce participation has become a common feature of projects aimed at reducing diesel use while building local technical knowledge.
"We measure leadership in megawatts delivered and in lasting benefits to the communities those megawatts serve," said Paul Makumbe, Chief Executive Officer, Sunergise.
"This award reflects both," Makumbe said.