SEANZ awards celebrate success and acknowledge achievement in the sustainable energy industry
The SEANZ Aotearoa Industry Awards celebrate the people, projects, and achievements lighting the way forward in Aotearoa’s sustainable energy future.
As solar, storage, and smart energy take centre stage, it’s more important than ever to recognise the excellence driving our industry. From innovation on the ground to leadership at scale, these awards showcase the best of what we do – together.
SEANZ congratulates all winners and nominees.
2025 Industry Award Winners
This category recognises innovative outside-the-box thinking, based on a solution or solutions that challenge traditional models & ways of doing things. Submission may be a technology solution, a process to achieve better outcomes for PV and/or BESS, a new PV-based business model, and/or a different approach to a common problem around PV installation. It should challenge existing processes or technology with the ability to be scaled & made available to the wider industry.
Winner:
Solar Network Foundation for their global energy management platform.
SolarNetwork is a core developer-centric energy data platform that serves as a catalyst for innovators building new apps and services relevant to the global energy transition. Aiming to be the “AWS of the Energy Industry”, SolarNetwork is the go-to platform for global companies with a vision of the future of energy, with a thirst to rapidly deploy scalable, secure and advanced energy management applications.
Runner-up:
Tū Mai Rā and Co for Trust Tairāwhiti School Pool Energy Sharing Project.
Trust Tairāwhiti, driven by a desire to extend the months four school pools are open to the Tairāwhiti community, funded a project combining pool electrification with renewable energy solutions. Tū Mai Rā Energy, working alongside ICE Solutions (pool heat pumps), Black Current (smart controls), Our Energy (retail platform and energy sharing), and Seven Rivers (project management and social procurement), integrated renewable generation, energy storage, advanced controls, and community power sharing, creating warmer pools, reducing energy costs, and building resilience for kura and their surrounding communities.
An off-grid renewable system must be completely independent of the national grid and incorporate onsite renewable generation & energy storage.
Winner:
Sunergise for Motutapu Island - Sunergise partnered with the Department of Conservation and Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki to deliver a fully off-grid, low-carbon energy system for Motutapu Island. Motutapu once relied on diesel generators, burdened by high fuel costs, greenhouse gas emissions, and difficult fuel transport. Today, its new island microgrid delivers a fully off-grid renewable solution, securing energy independence for one of New Zealand’s most remote conservation sites. High-efficiency solar, robust redundant battery storage, and intelligent hybrid management slash fossil fuel use and diesel reliance, boosting DOC’s operational resilience. Overcoming logistical, environmental, and heritage hurdles, the project delivered a turnkey, future-proof system built for harsh coastal conditions. Its innovation, scalability, and sustainability set a national benchmark for renewable power in remote, environmentally sensitive locations.
Runner-up: Solar 247 for the Nation Farm Project - Awarded for their high-performance off-grid system in Timaru, recognised as a well-designed and elegant solution with little compromise that promises a grid-like solution for the owners.
Sponsored by Revolve Energy - A grid-connected renewable system must be connected to the national grid and include onsite renewable generation. It may also include energy storage and load control within the system.
Winner:
Sunergise for Victoria University of Wellington’s Living Pā, Ngā Mokopuna - Sunergise partnered with the client, Revolve Energy, EPC Energy, and Victoria University of Wellington, to deliver the Living Pā Ngā Mokopuna Solar and Battery Energy Storage Project. As the lead construction contractor, Sunergise transformed the design vision into a fully operational, sustainable solution meeting Living Building Challenge standards, achieving a landmark renewable energy installation.
Runner Up:
Reid Technology for the Maersk Superhub - The Maersk Superhub in Ruakura Hamilton, is a large and complex solar array awarded six six-star Green Star Design & As Built rating by the Green Building Council.
Highly Commended:
Good Energy
For their Ahuroa Farm project which the judges commended for their commitment to quality and customer satisfaction.
This category recognises business excellence within the renewable energy market segment. It celebrates businesses that have developed and grown whilst making a positive contribution to society, the industry and all stakeholders – customers, employees, and shareholders.
Winner:
Freenergy Solar Solutions - Freenergy Solar Solutions of Hawkes Bay was awarded Best Small Business for applying their expertise in collaborations with community and business to deliver over 1 MW of solar and battery storage over the last year - helping to strengthen community resilience across Hawkes Bay.
Runner Up:
Goodyer Electrical and Solar - Goodyer Electrical and Solar of Marlborough were awarded runner-up Best Small Business for their quality-first approach and exceptional customer satisfaction.
This category recognises business excellence within the renewable energy market segment. It celebrates businesses that have developed and grown whilst making a positive contribution to society, the industry and all stakeholders – customers, employees, and shareholders.
Joint Winner:
ZEN Energy for continuing to scale their business, delivering even larger projects, whilst maintaining their record for exceptional customer service.
Joint Winner:
Lightyears Solar for developing a unique offering in the Utility-Scale market, successfully delivering excellent and impactful community-scale agri-voltaic projects.
This category recognises business excellence within the renewable energy market segment. It celebrates businesses that have developed and grown whilst making a positive contribution to society, the industry and all stakeholders – customers, employees, and shareholders.
Winner:
Sunergise for being leaders in their field and ensuring excellence in all aspects of their work - from technical to community.
Runner-up:
Think Solar Group for strong growth developed through their people-first culture - empowering staff and driving exceptional customer service.
This category celebrates a business or organisation that has led the way through strategic foresight, action, and groundbreaking projects in the residential and/or commercial PV space. It honours those who have not only inspired others but also moved ahead of the curve, setting benchmarks for others to follow and driving visible change in the market. These are the leaders who shift the industry forward.
Winner:
Revolve Energy - awarded for developing a suite of innovative products that unlock value for their customers and create opportunities for other SEANZ members.
Highly Commended: Blackcurrent - Blackcurrent is trailblazing a smarter, more decentralised energy system through the FLEX platform. The judges commended Blackcurrent for driving change by enabling their customers to realise maximum value from their Solar and Battery Energy systems
This category celebrates a business or organisation that has led the way through strategic foresight, action, and groundbreaking projects in Utility Scale solar. It honours those who have not only inspired others but also moved ahead of the curve and set benchmarks for others to follow, driving visible change in the market. These are the leaders who shift the industry forward.
Winner:
Lightyears Solar - awarded for being at the forefront of Utility Scale Solar in New Zealand, carving out a niche, meeting community energy needs at pace with their AgriPV solar farms.
Suppliers play a pivotal role in enabling our installer members to undertake their day-to-day work. Evaluating them across supply reliability, pricing, product depth, support quality, and market responsiveness helps us see who is doing a fantastic job supporting both you and the future of the solar industry.
Winner: Hummingbird Group - as voted by SEANZ members, Hummingbird scored highly for going the extra mile for their customers with their excellent technical support and service.
Winner: Colm Franklin - recognised for his years of support to SEANZ and the broader industry, voluntarily sharing his extensive technical knowledge and contributing to the development of industry standards.
SEANZ 2025 supported by
Platinum Partners
Gold Partners
Events, Awards, and Expo Partners
