| 7 Rotorua Museum Resoration Since 1969, the building has flourished as a cultural destination, housing Rotorua Museum Te Whare Taonga o Te Arawa. REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Charging up the network Hikotron has installed over 120 charging points, predominantly across the Waikato region. T T Bernadette Cooney Hikotron Actively addressing New Zealand’s lack of destination AC charging for electric vehicles, is Hamilton based company, Hikotron – an innovative company designing and building EV charging technologies as a pay-as-you -go service for commercial and public sector facilities. Unlike DC chargers which serve long-distance travel needs by ‘filling up’ at a petrol station, destination AC chargers allow EV owners to “sip” electricity at charging points where people naturally park, such as shopping centres, business hubs, hospitality precincts and apartment buildings. Hikotron founders, Ron Smits and his wife Stephanie Smits- O’Callaghan, drew from their experience living in London and navigating the destination EV charging infrastructure there, before moving to New Zealand in 2020. “Across Europe, around 80 percent of public chargers are destination charging hubs,” says Steph, “which encourages drivers to plug in while attending meetings, shopping, or at the gym, that sort of thing.” It’s important to build an EV charging ecosystem that includes a combination of fast and destination charging says Steph, and Hikotron aims to establish New Zealand’s largest EV AC charging network offering convenient, ubiquitous access and confidence for EV drivers that they can charge up upon arrival at frequently visited destinations. Since its inception, Hikotron has installed over 120 charging points, predominantly across the Waikato region including popular destinations like Hamilton Gardens and Hamilton Zoo. “We’re planning to expand nationwide,” says Steph, “and at the start of this year we installed our first public site in Blenheim in the South Island and there is a private business charger as far south as Christchurch at this point in time.” The company name is a fusion of “Hiko,” te reo Māori meaning flash of lightning or electricity, and “tron” from the colloquial placename for Hamilton. “The Hikotron charging station is New Zealand designed, made and patented and we partner with New Zealand companies wherever possible,” says Steph. “Foster Engineering have been instrumental in helping us with fabrication.” The Hikotron smart charging station provides between 7kW and 22kW of charging power and on average a one-hour 22kW charge at a Hikotron charger provides a 140km driving range. “We want anyone to be able to turn up to a charger and use it then and there,” says Steph. “Download the app, upload some payment details and get the charger working.” Other key funding partners are Rotorua Trust ($15m), Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage ($9m), Lotteries ($6.35m) and Bay of Plenty Regional Council ($4.1m), along with local philanthropists Joe and Jo Anne La Grouw (who donated proceeds from the sale of a significant artwork). In June, New Zealand Community Trust (NZCT) also gave a multi-year grant of $400,000 to aid in the strengthening, restoration and redevelopment of the Rotorua Bath House and Museum. A Building Governance Group, established in September 2023, set the pathway to successful delivery of project design, procurement and pre-construction achieving cost savings along the way. The construction contract was won by Watts & Hughes, whose involvement with the Bath House building goes back to 2010-11, (the South Wing extension project). “We are excited to be working on the iconic Rotorua Museum again,” says Watts & Hughes Construction Director Mark Gutry. Meanwhile, exhibition development has been continuing and the focus will move now to gaining external funding to ensure that world-class exhibitions telling local stories will be available when the building re-opens. Before the closure, the museum attracted more than 100,000 visitors a year. It houses a nationally significant collection, including social history artifacts, art and photography plus more than two thousand taonga Māori. Auckland +64 9 303 4394 | Hamilton +64 7 211 7926 | Napier +64 21 169 2249 Wellington +64 4 499 1468 | Queenstown +64 3 442 596 | www.maltbys.co.nz Cost Management | Development Management | Project Funder Services Engineer to Contract | Independent Certifier | Advisory Services Successfully delivering projects throughout New Zealand since 1929 ELECTRIC VEHICLE (EV) CHARGING INFRASTRUCTURE SPECIALISTS Consulting and design Installation and ongoing management Fleet, public, commercial, apartments www.hikotron.com e: hello@hikotron.com p: 0800 694 456 Whether you are building a new home, renovating or making a simple lighting change, Shaw Electrical has the experience for all your residential or commercial electrical services. Contact Mike Shaw: P 027 637 4562 E info@shawelectrical.co.nz W www.shawelectrical.co.nz
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