About Empower Energy
Empower Energy helps address energy affordability by enabling Kiwis to donate some or all of their solar energy credits to people in hardship. There is also an option for community groups to pool their solar energy credits and donate them to nominated recipients.
We began our journey at the Orion Energy Accelerator in 2021, where we won ‘Most Impactful Solution‘.
Since then we have been developing our platform, running a successful trial (that delivered more than $15,000 to Kiwis in energy hardship) and are now signing up all donors as part of our nationwide rollout plans.
Empower Energy was a registered Charitable Trust.
Governance & Staff
Michael Fitzgerald
Co-Founder & Chief Empowerment OfficerMichael has 30 years of experience in customer service, administration and management gained at Air New Zealand, the New Zealand Army, the Maori Land Court and the Christchurch City Council. He is is graduate of the University of Canterbury, Lincoln University and Te Wananga O Aotearoa .
The Empower Energy concept came from his work assisting the Christchurch Mayors’ Welfare Fund, and wanting to find a sustainable system to mitigate energy hardship utilising unused roof-space and solar panels.
Brian is an engineer and scientist who is working in software implementation project management for Alpine Energy in South Canterbury. Solving complex problems with practical, innovative, holistic solutions have been his focus.
Brian is passionate about renewable energy, complex systems, and pragmatic social justice.
Paul Deavoll
Trustee
Paul is currently Head of Customer and Communications for Orion NZ Ltd, Mid Canterbury’s
local electricity distribution business. Paul is responsible for Orion’s external relationships
including communications, stakeholder and customer relationships, internal engagement
and Orion’s sustainability strategy and actions.
Previously, Paul spent 20 years within Spark NZ, holding several senior roles including three
years as Head of South Island. With all these years of experience within the
telecommunications sector, Paul has a sound appreciation for the difference infrastructure
and technology can make for businesses of all sizes, and communities, especially in digital
experience. Having worked in rural communities across the South Island, Paul has first-hand
experience in the opportunities and challenges for those living and working regionally.
Paul has mentored in the business start-up community and is highly experienced engaging
with local and central government.
As an experienced people leader, Paul has a broad range of business capabilities that extend
across human capital, change management and culture, commercial, customer
management, technical leadership, sustainability, sales, marketing, channel development,
communications and engagement.
As an active supporter of the redevelopment of a vibrant new Christchurch, Paul has been
involved in several reference groups associated with City redevelopment. He is well
networked across Canterbury.
Paul has a strong engagement with his local community and currently is President for the
Canterbury Employers Chamber of Commerce Board and trustee on the Christchurch
Foundation. Previously Paul was Chairman on the Ronald McDonald House SI Trust Board
and had three years on the NZ Technology Industry Association Board.
Greg is a marketing and business development consultant based in Christchurch. He works with a number of good organisations, filled with good people, doing good things.
Most of Greg’s client work is though his agency: www.hitsquad.co.nz
As a keen student of disruptive innovation, Greg is excited to be part of the realising the potential of the Empower Energy platform.
Advisory Board
Ian Fitzgerald
Experienced Director
Ian is an experienced company director and adviser. Ian is a Chartered Fellow of the Institute of Directors and holds a number of Governance roles across a range of organisations including the World of Wearable Arts, Niue Development Bank and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Trade Audit & Risk Committee.
As an adviser, Ian specialises in resolving complex organisational problems and supporting major negotiations.
Ian has held senior roles in the public and private sectors with management experience in a wide range of areas including change management, financial management, banking, human resources, information technology, operational risk, legal, internal audit and public relations.
Pam Walklin
Pam has a depth of strategic, commercial, business development and transformation experience and she has extensive stakeholder engagement and relationship building in the energy sector. Prior to joining Ara Ake as the Head of Commercialisation, Pam led the Horticulture Technology Catalyst Project at Callaghan Innovation, a High Impact Project within the AgriTech Industry Transformation Plan, tasked with positioning NZ as a global leader in horticulture technology. Prior to this role Pam successfully completed the establishment of Ara Ake in her role with Venture Taranaki. Pam’s energy leadership experience spans electricity distribution, MEP services, retail, generation, upstream and downstream energy services.
Pam is impact led and sees innovation and the power of connectivity and relationships, both within Aotearoa and globally, as a key enabler to supporting our energy transition to a low emissions future.
As Aotearoa New Zealand’s future energy centre, Ara Ake works with businesses – from start-ups to large organisations – to facilitate and support demonstration projects of new and emerging technologies. They help innovators access financial and technical support to develop their technologies, bring in offshore technology and expertise and help unravel regulatory and commercial barriers.
Sheralee MacDonald
Sheralee is passionate about supporting innovators, entrepreneurs and commercialising technology that contributes to a lower emission future. Her career has spanned commercial roles at various energy related organisations in NZ and Canada including EECA, Windflow Technology and ElectricAir (NZ’s first electric plane) and commercialisation of innovative wool products at Wool Source.
Post the Christchurch earthquake she was a business growth advisor and commercialisation specialist at ChristchurchNZ across various sectors and a mentor in the innovation ecosystem.
With a current focus on supporting an equitable energy transition, she recently started in the Energy Futures team at Orion Group and is also on the Board of Generation Zero, a youth-led climate action organisation, and an Advisory Board member for Empower Energy.
Charity Details
Empower Energy Charitable Trust de-registered as a charity as of 31 March 2025