Sponsor article: Ara Ake

The kaupapa of the EVolocity programme aligns well with the vision of Ara Ake, with a sustainable future as the end goal. EVolocity equips students with the skills to play a part in that sustainable future and displays a means of how we can transition away from fossil fuels. As Taranaki is at the heart of the nation’s energy sector, it made sense that EVolocity was accessible to our students in the region, and we were thrilled to be able to bring it here.

Despite 2021 presenting many challenges, disruptions, and uncertainty, the EVolocity students took it in their stride, and demonstrated a huge commitment. Not only was resilience displayed by the rangatahi, but also determination, camaraderie, ingenuity, and creativity. EVolocity is a wonderful initiative that encourages students into science, technology, engineering, and mathematics careers – a pathway they may not have initially thought was an option for them. A low emissions future for Aotearoa requires these skills, and it is important that our future leaders are aware of the critical role they can play in this transition. EVolocity also teaches the students about teamwork, project management, and design, all skills which are invaluable when applied to real-world scenarios.

Ara Ake is the nation’s new energy centre funded by government. We are the national hub of new energy knowledge and development, connecting and collaborating with many different parts of the energy

Chase Hancock, Glen Baxter, Jonathan Young, and Rebecca Buis. (All

Ara Ake employees).

ecosystem. We work closely with energy innovators to enable energy solutions to become commercially viable, and we are currently working on world-first innovative projects that one day, our future leaders are likely to be involved in.

We are proud of the students and schools that were involved in the programme this year, and we hope to see more involved in 2022 to learn more about the renewable energy space. Thank you to the passionate EVolocity team for having us on board as the regional partner for Taranaki, we look forward to having you back in the region next year. Good luck to all the 2022 teams, we can’t wait to see what you come up with.