A new energy future for our community
Something exciting and new is happening in Utakura
Utakura Hiko Hapori Trust is a community-focused energy kaupapa established to help create a more affordable, resilient, and sustainable energy future for our whānau.
Led by the aspirations of Utakura 7 Incorporation, Utakura 7 Atawhai Trust, and our wider whanau, this kaupapa is about more than simply generating electricity. It is about taking greater control of our energy future, using renewable energy and new technologies to reduce power costs, strengthen energy security, and keep more of the benefits of our resources within our own hapori.
Utakura has always been a place built on connection, a place where whānau care enough to look after each other. Utakura Hiko Hapori Trust builds on that foundation by exploring how energy can become another pathway to support whānau wellbeing, economic opportunities, and a more resilient community.
The solar panels you can see on our papakainga and all of our marae are part of this journey. They represent a shift towards a future where we generate our own clean energy, where technology supports healthier homes, and where community-scale solutions create long-term benefits for our people.
This kaupapa connects strongly with the wider vision of Utakura 7 Atawhai Trust: to diminish spiritual, cultural, environmental, economic, and social disparities by creating opportunities and strengthening our community.
Our Maraeroa papakāinga project has already shown what is possible when we put whānau at the centre. Warm, dry, healthy homes with solar generation and energy-efficient design are not just about buildings; they are about creating better living conditions, reducing household pressures, and supporting the wellbeing of future generations.
Energy is a major part of that resilience. Affordable and reliable power helps whānau thrive. The dividends support local development and create opportunities for our community to be more self-reliant.
Welcoming our community
We are pleased to announce that Utakura Hiko Hapori will soon begin welcoming customers from our community.
This is an important milestone for the kaupapa. It means we can start bringing the benefits of our community energy vision directly to whānau from Mangataraire to Motukiore.
Over the coming weeks, we will share more information about how whānau can join, the customer sign-up process, available electricity plans, and what being part of Utakura Hiko Hapori means.
This is just the beginning.
He Hiko, He Mana, He Oranga mo te Hapori
Energy, Empowerment and Wellbeing for our people
Awesome mahi Utakura 7
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