Power it Forward
Using energy to do more for the places we live. Renewable generation, warmer homes, and practical help when households need it most.
Four ways we power it forward
Two branches build community-owned renewable energy. Two put direct support in front of households. Open one for the full picture and how to apply.
Applications open
Partnership Solar
TLC funds the solar hardware, your organisation provides the roof, and the community gets behind it. Excess generation is gifted forward to households in energy hardship. The Ōtorohanga Kiwi House was the first — 99 panels across four buildings — and we want to do more.
Full overview and how to apply →
Register interest
Resiliency Hubs
Marae and community halls fitted with solar, battery and generator backup so they stay powered when the grid goes down — light, water, communications, and a safe place for people to gather and look after each other.
Full overview and how to apply →
Register interest
Winter Wellness
A coordinated push through the colder months for households doing it tough — Winter Wellness Packs and Power it Forward energy credits delivered together through local community organisations.
Full overview and how to apply →Power it Forward Support Payment
An emergency payment for households hit by the unexpected — a flood, a fire, or a sudden fall into severe energy hardship. Nominated by a community organisation, applied straight to the power account.
Full overview and how to apply →How the energy gets passed forward
The same simple loop sits under every solar project we fund.
Step one
A community building generates its own power
Panels cover the organisation's own day-to-day use first, cutting its running costs.
Step two
Surplus generation is measured and gifted
Export-capable metering tracks every unit sent back to the network, and the host gifts those credits to TLC.
Step three
Households in hardship get the benefit
We pass the credits on to local households who are struggling with their power bills.
Power it Forward in action
FY 26/27 to date
200
Households supported
$23,000
Credits delivered
23
Solar projects
20
Community partners
86,533 kWh
Surplus solar redirected
Winter Wellness · good news story
Winter Wellness Packs
This winter, TLC delivered Winter Wellness Packs to households across the King Country, Central Plateau, and Ruapehu — providing warmth, care, and practical support to local whānau. Each pack included groceries, energy-saving items, and Power It Forward credits to help ease household and electricity costs through the colder months.
Made possible through community nominations and the support of local iwi and partners, the programme turned local care into real help — showing what community ownership can achieve.
A simple idea with a big impact: people helping people, and small acts of kindness making winter a little warmer for everyone.
SPONSORSHIP SOLAR · A SMALL PROJECT WITH A BIG HEART
Solar for the Ōtorohanga Museum
In 2025 we gifted a fully funded $23,000 solar system to the Ōtorohanga Historical Society — a volunteer-run museum looking after the district's stories and taonga. Lower running costs for them, and any surplus solar credits come back to TLC to distribute to households in hardship.
