We began as a separate State Owned Enterprise in 1994, but we've been the backbone to New Zealand's economic and social well-being for around 100 years.
GridHeritage website
GridHeritage is a voluntary organisation supported by Transpower that builds and maintains a collection on New Zealand's transmission past.
Visit the GridHeritage website
Keeping the Lights On book
Helen Reilly’s exploration of the New Zealand Electricity industry, Keeping the Lights On, is told through the engaging personal stories of the men and women who helped create the national grid we see today. Keeping the Lights On is a must-have book for anyone interested in the electricity industry, the evolution of national grids, and changing corporate environments. Copies of the book are NZ$40, and available from Grid Heritage, by emailing here.
History of the National Grid book
Connecting the Country: New Zealand's National Grid 1886-2007 was written by public historian Helen Reilly and sponsored by Transpower.
The book tells the stories of the early engineers, surveyors, linesmen and operators, and describes how their commitment to 'keeping the lights on' is still central to the ethos of running the National Grid today.
It tells how our country was wired, starting in the late 1800s: from the first government transmission line near Rotorua, to the planning and installation of HVDC and the development of system operations.
Connecting the Country contains photos, maps and diagrams which also tell a story, including documenting the changing safety standards.
Available in book stores throughout New Zealand.
