Registrations are now open for the Future Networks Forum (FNF) Innovation Forum.
The Forum will be a hybrid event, so you can join us in person or online via Zoom, and you can register for both days or just one.
The FNF brings together representatives from lines companies across Aotearoa to harness the collective capability of the distribution sector and support New Zealand’s transition to a lower-emissions energy system. The Innovation Forum is an opportunity to hear what others across the sector — and beyond it — are working on, share lessons, and dig into some of the practical challenges facing future networks.
We’re still firming up the full agenda, but there is already a great mix of sessions lined up. Check it out in the agenda below.
Dates:
Tuesday 3 November and Wednesday 4 November 2026.
Where:
Te Wharewaka, 2 Taranaki Street, Wellington Central.
There is also the option to attend this event online via Teams.
Register
Registration costs are:
- In person: $180 per day
- Online: $55 per day
If you are from an EDB please go ahead and register using the link below. If you are not from a lines company, please email fnf@electricity.org.nz to request to attend.
Register for in-person and online attendance here .
Agenda: 3 November 2026
| Time | Title/description | Speaker(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 09:30 - 10:00 | Registration and morning tea (30 min) | |
| 10:00 - 10:25 | Opening karakia and an update on FNF progress (25 min) | FNF Co-Chairs James Tipping GM Market Strategy & Regulation, Vector Andrew Kerr Chief Customer and Strategy Officer, Alpine Energy |
| 10:25 - 11:05 | TBC (40 min) | TBC |
| 11:05 - 11:35 | TBC (30 min) | TBC |
| 11:35 - 12:25 | From managing solar to embracing DER: Ausgrid’s transformation (50 mins) Ausgrid will share its experience of the shift from solar being seen primarily as something networks needed to accommodate and manage, towards more actively embracing solar and the opportunities DER can provide for networks and customers. The session will focus on the organisational and cultural changes behind that shift, including leadership, ways of working, customer engagement and public perception. |
Yvonne Little CER Backstop Program Manager, Ausgrid |
| 12:25 - 13:20 | Lunch (55 min) | |
| 13:20 - 14:00 | Putting customer benefits at the heart of investment decisions: Auckland Transport’s approach (40 mins) Auckland Transport will share how it identifies and assesses customer benefits when developing investment business cases, including how putting customers at the heart of project design can influence project outcomes. The session will offer useful parallels for the electricity sector as EDBs consider how to better identify and demonstrate customer benefits in their own investment decisions. |
Kelly Skelton GM Design & Engineering (Acting), Auckland Transport Daniel Newcombe Project Development Lead, Auckland Transport |
| 14:00 – 14:40 | Unlocking the value of demand flexibility: insights from EECA’s TIMES-NZ modelling (40 mins) EECA will share insights from its latest TIMES-NZ modelling on the potential value of demand flexibility in New Zealand’s energy system, including what the findings could mean for future demand, network planning and the role of flexibility. |
Gareth Gretton Lead Advisor - Research, Evaluation and Insights, Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) |
| 14:40 – 15:10 | Dynamic Export Guidelines project (30 mins) An overview of the Vector, WEL Networks and SEANZ project, including why the work was initiated, the proposed scope and progress to date. |
Monica Choy Senior Regulatory and Pricing Partner, Vector Matthew Whitmore NIP Engineering Team Leader, WEL Networks |
| 15:10 - 15:30 | Stretch break and afternoon tea (20 min) | |
| 15:30 - 16:10 | Flexible connections and customer benefits: insights from Counties Energy’s GridEx platform (40 mins) Counties Energy will share its work on Flexible Connections enabled through the recently launched Gridex platform, including how the approach can help customers connect sooner, make better use of existing network capacity, and reduce the need for costly network upgrades. |
Moonis Vegdani Group Chief Strategy & Transformation, Counties Energy Astad Kapadia Head of DSO Strategy, Counties Energy |
| 16:10 - 16:50 | Powerco’s DSO journey: accelerating new capabilities through INTSA (40 mins) Powerco will share its recently approved INTSA programme to accelerate its transition towards becoming a Distribution System Operator, including the capabilities it is looking to develop, the customer and network outcomes it is targeting, and the opportunities for wider sector learning. |
Andrew Paynter Powerco |
| 16:50 - 17:00 | Wrap-up and closing karakia (10 min) | FNF Co-Chairs James Tipping GM Market Strategy & Regulation, Vector Andrew Kerr Chief Customer and Strategy Officer, Alpine Energy |
| 17:00 | Event closes and social catch-up begins |
Agenda: 4 November
| Time | Title/description | Speaker(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 08:15 - 08:45 | Registration (tea and coffee on arrival) (30 min) | |
| 08:45 - 08:55 | Opening karakia and welcome (15 min) | FNF Co-Chairs James Tipping GM Market Strategy & Regulation, Vector Andrew Kerr Chief Customer & Strategy Officer, Alpine Energy |
| 08:55 - 09:45 | TBC (50 min) | TBC |
| 09:45 - 10:00 | TBC (15 min) | TBC |
| 10:00 - 10:40 | ENA update (40 min) | Richard Le Gros Policy & Innovation Manager, ENA |
| 10:40 – 11:00 | Morning tea (20 min) | |
| 11:00 – 11:20 | Draft Flexibility Playbook: practical guidance for using flexibility as a non-network solution (20 mins) Matt Smith from Vector will introduce the idea behind a Flexibility Playbook being developed collaboratively by Vector, Orion, Powerco and Aurora. The session will outline the intended scope of the work, including practical guidance on areas such as valuation, procurement approaches, product definitions, flexible connections and wider implementation considerations. |
Matt Smith Policy Advisor, Strategic Planning and Technology Integration, Vector |
| 11:20 – 12:00 | PowerNet’s congestion maps: supporting faster DG connections (40 min) PowerNet will share its new congestion maps, launched in May to support streamlined distributed generation applications. The session will cover how the maps are being used to give customers and installers better visibility of network constraints and support faster connection decisions. |
Dyson Gentle Future Networks Manager, PowerNet |
| 12:00 – 12:30 | TBC (30 min) | TBC |
| 12:30 – 13:00 | Vector’s LV Network Lab: what does an actively managed low-voltage network need? (30 min) Vector will share its Suburb of the Future Stage 1: LV Network Lab project, which is testing the monitoring, control, communications and data capabilities needed to actively manage low-voltage networks as DER uptake grows. The session will explore what Vector is looking to learn from the trial and how those insights could inform future LV network investment and management. |
TBC |
| 13:00 – 13:10 | Wrap-up and closing karakia (10 min) | FNF Co-Chairs |
| 13:10 – 14:00 | Lunch (50 min) |