Tū Mai Rā Energy

07/11/2026

Kia ora koutou! 🌞

Bit different for TMRE lurking in the shadows to feature in NBR’s Te Ao Māori section: “The small iwi energy firm powering communities.”

Tū Mai Rā Energy (TMRE) is co-owned by Rangitāne o Tāmaki Nui-ā-Rua and Rangitāne o Wairarapa. It all started with a simple kaupapa: put energy back in the hands of communities. Across Te Ika-a-Māui TMRE installs solar, batteries and microgrids for marae, whānau, kura and businesses. Every project helps build lower bills, stronger resilience and real energy independence.

Ngā mihi nui to NBR for telling our story, and to every whānau, marae and partner who walks this journey with us. 💛

📖 Read it here (NBR subscription required):

It turns out the humble cup of tea might be the secret ingredient in getting solar energy projects off the ground in Māori communities, according to Tū Mai Rā Energy president Richard Jones.

03/11/2026

Kia ora koutou! ☀️

Big progress up at Te Kao this week. Rows of solar panels are going up on the Te Kao Community Microgrid. 🙌

The ground is prepared, footings are poured and the steel frames are standing in rows across the site. Now the crew is lifting the panels into place, one by one. The panels are bifacial, so they collect sunlight on both sides, including light that bounces back off the ground.

When it’s finished, the microgrid will bring together 558 kW of solar, a 983 kWh battery and a 50 kW wind turbine. To start with it will power the papakāinga of 40 homes, with room to grow to around 100. Once it’s commissioned, it will be handed over to Pōtahi Marae to own and run, by the community and for the community.

Huge mihi to the crew putting in the hard yards in all weathers 💪,and to Pōtahi Marae and everyone who has backed this kaupapa from the start.

🌿

28/10/2026

Nihao Shanghai, here we are… and yes, we brought the touch ball 🏉⚡

Kia ora whānau! The Tū Mai Rā Energy crew is in Shanghai this week visiting GHREPower, and it’s been a big one.

🌬️ A wind turbine for Te Kao. We’re here to order a 50 kW wind turbine for the Te Kao Community Microgrid. That’s solar, battery and wind working together for Pōtahi Marae and the papakāinga. We got right up close: the tower, the nacelle (the “head” of the turbine, which turns out to be bigger than our office kitchen), and the generator on the test bench. Hard hats on, questions flying. 🪖

🔋 Sodium batteries for Ngāti Maniapoto. We also inspected the sodium batteries ordered for four marae in Ngāti Maniapoto. Sodium is a newer battery chemistry made from more common materials, and we wanted to see the gear with our own eyes before it heads home.

📺 The control room. GHREPower showed us their live microgrid control centre. While we watched, their turbine was making about 42 kW from a 6 m/s breeze. For context, that’s about what Te Kao gets on a good afternoon. 👀 We also saw a scale model of a whole renewable-powered town, and we may have pressed our faces against the glass like kids at a lolly shop.

🏉 And the important bit… Matiu found a touch rugby game in the middle of Shanghai, under the lights and surrounded by skyscrapers. He played alongside our Shanghai-based lawyer Rocky Meng of Sparks Law. Rocky studied law at Vic in Pōneke, so naturally he’s got a sidestep. No word yet on who scored more tries. Matiu says “it was a team effort,” which we all know means he didn’t. 😂

The relationships we’re building here are about getting the best technology into the hands of marae and communities back home, at the right price, with people we trust.

Ngā mihi nui to the GHREPower team for the warm welcome, and to Rocky for having our backs on and off the field. 🙌

Mā te huruhuru, ka rere te manu. Adorn the bird with feathers and it will fly. 🪶

19/10/2026

Er****on of solar ground mount system for the Te Kao Community Micrgrid making steady progress

25/09/2026

Our team is at the Northland Home & Lifestyle Show this weekend 🏡 You'll find us inside McKay stadium displaying solar panels on a ground mount structure, our Deye all in one & Sigenergy inverter and batteries.
We’re looking forward to connecting and sharing ideas around smarter energy solutions ⚡️

23/09/2026

Nāu te rourou, nāku te rourou, ka ora ai te iwi

I huraina e Rangitāne o Tamaki nui-ā-Rua tā rātou kaupapa papa hiko kōmaru hei āwhina i ngā whānau 58 - koni atu - me ā rātou utu hiko.

✍️ Michael Cugley
🔗 Read more below

20/08/2026

Big news from TMRE: we are now Solassure Certified.

Solassure is New Zealand’s independent quality mark for solar and energy storage. Our certification means TMRE has been independently assessed against strict standards for system design, products, installation, business practices, after-sales support and customer care.

For our customers, that means greater confidence that their solar and battery project is being delivered by a provider committed to quality at every stage—from the first conversation to long after switch-on.

We’re proud to pair this national quality mark with the local knowledge, relationships and kaupapa that have always guided our mahi.

Read more online at https://tmre.nz/a-new-mark-of-quality-for-tu-mai-ra-energy/

05/08/2026

Heading home after an absolutely awesome day participating and supporting Ngā Tāngata Tiaki o Whanganui solar workshops☀️

It’s been massive for Tū Mai Rā Energy as we roll out solar installations across the Whanganui rohe. With 8 marae installs done & 22 more to go!

Huge mihi to the teams on the ground for the manaakitanga and hard work. It’s not just about putting panels on roofs; it’s about empowering communities to take control of their own energy future. 💚

On to the next one!

30/07/2026

☀️ Big news for solar in Aotearoa — and for the whānau who've been locked out of it.

Today the Ministry for Regulation released its review of the solar installation process, and two changes stand out for us at Tū Mai Rā Energy:

🔌 Plug-in solar is set to be legalised — a low-cost way for renters, apartment dwellers and whānau in papakāinga to finally take part, even without a roof of their own.

⚡ Faster connections — accredited installers will be able to connect systems up to 100kW without the weeks-long wait for inspection that's held up mahi in rural and provincial areas.

For us this is simple: energy that's faster, more affordable, and stays in the hands of our communities. We've been advocating for these changes, and we're ready to help bring plug-in solar here. 🌱

Tū mai rā — the sun is ours to harness.



📷 "Balkonkraftwerk" (plug-in balcony solar), Tauberbischofsheim, Germany. Photo: Triplec85, CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Illustrative.

28/07/2026

Mauri Ora whānau! ☀️

We're proud to share the near completion of a 10kW ground-mounted solar system at Kaputuhi Marae near — clean, resilient energy now grounded in the whenua and standing ready to serve the marae for years to come.

This install marks a special milestone for us. It's the first time TMRE is deploying Sodium-Ion batteries, as part of a deliberate move to test and shift towards battery technology that's more environmentally friendly and recyclable. Sodium-Ion uses abundant, widely available materials and steps away from some of the scarcer minerals found in conventional lithium batteries — an approach that sits well with kaitiakitanga and caring for our whenua for the generations to come.

A huge ngā mihi to the Marae Pact Trust for backing this kaupapa and making it possible.

Thanks also to our design & install partners & for their mahi on the ground.

And a big mihi to Matua Rore Stafford and the whānau of Kaputuhi Marae for your manaakitanga and for welcoming this kaupapa onto your marae.

Tū mai rā — following in the footsteps of Maui to harness the sun. ☀️

Mauri ora! 🌱