Pitched as a plan to cut power costs and put ownership of new energy in the hands of whānau, hapū, iwi and communities, Te Pāti Māori's Energy Sovereignty policy would put $1 billion into Māori and community-owned energy assets.

📋 Te Pāti Māori: Energy Sovereignty, September 2026 →

What it does

• Sets up a $1 billion Energy Sovereignty Fund offering grants, concessional finance, guarantees, equity investment and co-investment so hapū, iwi, marae, Māori landowners and communities can take permanent stakes in energy assets.
• Also funds energy resilience projects, community batteries, Māori energy businesses and workforce development, with the stated aim of lowering household energy costs.
• Creates a National Energy Independence Plan that the party says would deliver "measurable reductions" in household energy costs and "measurable increases" in Māori ownership.
• Strengthens the Commerce Commission's and the Electricity Authority's powers to investigate excessive pricing and profits, and wants whānau and communities paid a fair price for power they generate and store.
• Sets a pathway to energy sovereignty by 2035. Like Labour, the Greens and National, the party backs the Ratepayer Assistance Scheme to widen access to solar, RNZ reported.
• Announced on 16 September 2026. Co-leader Rawiri Waititi said other parties were talking about generating more electricity while avoiding the question of who will own it.