Customer focus and opportunities highlighted by Awards winners 

29 Aug 2024

The winners of the 2024 New Zealand Energy Excellence Awards were Contact, Counties Energy, Fonterra, Genesis, Hiringa Energy, HWR Hydrogen, Kāinga Ora, Mercury and Powerco. 

The 14th annual awards, held at the Cordis Auckland last night, saw over 680 guests celebrate excellence across 10 categories. 

Moonis Vegdani – group chief strategy and transformation officer​ at Counties Energy, was recognised in the Young Energy Professional of the Year Award category for his significant contributions to the EV charging ecosystem, distribution system operator capabilities and delivery of the multi-million Advanced Distribution Management System platform at Counties. 

Judges said “Moonis Vegdani demonstrated examples of leadership inside and outside Counties Energy and provided strong character endorsements to support his entry.” 

Counties Energy also took out the Innovation in Energy Award with its 'plug n' play' flexible EV charging infrastructure solution using second-life EV batteries to buffer the system. 

Refuelling the future 

The efforts to transition to more sustainable fuels were recognised across several categories. 

Fonterra claimed the Large Energy User Initiative of the Year Award for a second year running, with its Waitoa biomass boiler project displacing a coal boiler, leading to a reduction in annual CO2 emissions of 48,000 tonnes. 

Hiringa Energy was celebrated for its efforts thus far in developing a green hydrogen refuelling network to help decarbonise heavy transport, taking away the Low Carbon Future Award.  

HWR Hydrogen showcased its leadership in integrating hydrogen with existing diesel engines via its dual-fuel truck programme. HWR’s work on supplying and procuring the skills and technology required to convert trucks secured it the Social Procurement Award, which recognises the positive impact on the procurement process of additional social and/or environmental benefits. 

Embracing customers and communities 

Demonstrating genuine focus and receiving positive feedback for the products and services delivering our energy future were the hallmarks for other winning organisations. 

Powerco took away Energy Distributor of the Year, with its commitment to connecting communities now and in the future to safe, reliable, and resilient electricity and gas. 

Energy Retailer of the Year was awarded to Mercury for its transformative Trustpower integration and responsive customer solutions portfolio. 

Genesis Energy’s Ngā Ara programme provides rangatahi located around its operating assets with education, training, and employment opportunities, and was a worthy winner of the Community Initiative of the Year Award. 

Kāinga Ora stood out in the Energy Project of the Year category with its renewable energy programme and multiple trading trial. Kāinga Ora demonstrated how excess solar generation can be monetised to benefit customers in energy hardship and that it has the potential to scale this up across its property portfolio. 

Value of prevention 

The outcomes demonstrated by Contact’s life-changing skin health programme are unarguable and wide-ranging. What started as a screening programme for outdoor workers has saved lives by detecting early-stage melanomas among employees and is a worthy winner of the Well-being Award. 

The winners: 

Innovation in Energy Award – sponsored by Ara Ake 

Counties Energy – Reimagining flexible infrastructure using second-life EV batteries 

Large Energy User Initiative of the Year – sponsored by EECA 

Fonterra – Waitoa biomass boiler project 

Low Carbon Future Award – sponsored by Energy Resources Aotearoa 

Hiringa Energy – Heavy transport’s biggest decarbonisation network 

Energy Project of the Year – sponsored by Energy News 

Kāinga Ora – Renewable energy programme and multiple trading trial 

Energy Distributor of the Year – sponsored by Axos Systems 

Powerco – Connecting communities now and in the future 

Energy Retailer of the Year – sponsored by EDMI 

Mercury 

Community Initiative of the Year – sponsored by Eagle Technology 

Genesis – Ngā Ara | Transformational education, training, and employment pathways 

Well-being Award – sponsored by nib 

Contact – Skin health programme saving lives at Contact 

Social Procurement Award – sponsored by BlueFloat Energy and Elemental Group 

HWR Hydrogen – Dual-fuel trucks 

Young Energy Professional of the Year – sponsored by Phoenix Recycling Group 

Moonis Vegdani, Counties Energy 

The awards were further supported by Young Energy Professionals Network, ERANZ, GasNZ, New Zealand Wind Energy Association, CEP, MEUG, ENA, Mana Wāhine I Power Women and EEA. Gentrack sponsored the table displays. 

[Image l-r: Hon Shane Jones, Young Energy Professional of the Year Moonis Vegdani, Counties Energy, and Julian O'Connell from Phoenix Recycling Group]