Impact Spotlight
Installed a 49.6kW solar system with battery storage at a Māori immersion school in Taranaki, cutting carbon emissions by 11+ metric tonnes annually
Over 220 students and adults across 12 school and community groups engaged with hands-on solar energy education
Saving over $10,000 USD annually on electricity bills
About
Kia Kotahi Ako accelerates Māori-led initiatives that dismantle systemic inequities in education and environmental sustainability, with a vision for Māori communities to lead their own learning and energy futures, restoring wellbeing for people and Papatūānuku (Mother Earth).
As Aotearoa transitions to renewable energy, schools and communities need practical learning connected to real-world challenges. Kia Kotahi Ako’s curriculum, Capturing Te Rā, meets this need, combining renewable energy education, hands-on learning, mātauranga Māori (Indigenous knowledge), and solar installations for energy sovereignty.is a Māori-led organization in Aotearoa (New Zealand) that empowers rangatahi (young people) to lead climate and energy solutions by weaving together Mātauranga Māori (Indigenous knowledge) and modern science. This project centers around Te Pi’ipi’inga Kākano Mai i Rangiātea, a Māori immersion school in Taranaki, a region historically impacted by extractive industries and systemic energy hardship. Māori communities experience energy insecurity at nearly double the national rate and are underrepresented in the renewable energy sector. The kura (school) is a vital hub for revitalizing language, values, and leadership—and now, clean energy.
“Our partnership with the Honnold Foundation has taken us from a single solar installation to a national vision for Māori energy sovereignty. As we expand Capturing Te Rā into new kura and communities, this mahi goes beyond infrastructure. It’s about rangatahi seeing themselves as leaders of Aotearoa’s clean energy future, and communities reclaiming Mana Motuhake on their terms. We’re grateful for a funder who journeys with us for the long haul, excited for where this waka takes us next.”
HF Partnership
With HF's support, Kia Kotahi Ako installed a 49.6kW solar system and 61.44kWh battery storage at Te Pi'ipi'inga Kākano Mai I Rangiātea Kura Kaupapa Māori (full immersion school) in Taranaki in Q1 2026. The system is projected to save the kura $10,000 USD per year in electricity costs and 11 metric tonnes of CO2, funds that will be reinvested into community-led priorities.
Building on this foundation, the multi-year partnership will now move into a national scaling phase with three key goals: scaling curriculum through a national rollout of Capturing Te Rā, a bilingual solar education curriculum, reaching 10 additional Māori schools/communities and 2 new regions (up to 2,000 whānau/family); expanding installations by coordinating a 120kWh solar array at Te Pā, a Kura ā Iwi learning village in Ōtautahi Christchurch, extending curriculum into the South Island, and building capability by developing Indigenous-led co-funding models and training facilitators to grow solar programmes.
This partnership builds towards a future where Māori communities lead their own energy and learning futures, with rangatahi at the centre of Aotearoa's clean energy transition.
In the News
