Green makeover for Stewart Island

Gareth Morgan has said he wants to make all of Rakiura / Stewart Island predator free, and now another mover and shaker wants to convert the island to 100 per cent renewable energy by 2018.

Southland District mayor Gary Tong wants to kick plans for green energy on the island into action after seeing them stall for years – and has the balance sheet, rather than just green ideology, in mind.

Currently energy costs on the island are high as the main source of power is diesel, which is shipped over from the mainland and burned in generators. The mayor also sees the risk of a spill as a danger to the island’s eco-tourism ventures, which include Kiwi spotting and great white shark encounters.

“SIESA [the Stewart Island Electrical Supply Authority] is transporting thousands of litres of diesel, which is pumped from a barge to a tank on the waterfront, then pumped to a truck and taken to another storage site – there is possibility for catastrophe," he said in comments to The Southland Times.

Stewart Island residents currently pay around twice as much for electricity as residents in nearby Invercargill. SIESA is the only electricity supplier on the island and is run by the Southland District Council.

An investigation is currently underway into the possibilities for wind, solar or hydro electricity on the island – however the mayor has said that moves may be made before the report is completed, as much of the data on sunshine hours etc is already available.