Keeping Energy Sovereignty in Aotearoa: The Pioneer Energy Deal
In 2025, Te Pae ki te Rangi, in partnership with Tōtara Investments, an iwi Māori consortium, made a landmark $8 million equity investment into Pioneer Energy—one of Aotearoa’s last remaining community-owned gentailers. This deal is more than a financial transaction. It is a decisive step in ensuring that the energy assets powering New Zealand’s future remain in local, iwi-led hands.
Pioneer Energy is a well-established renewable energy company with a diverse portfolio spanning hydro, wind, and biomass generation, alongside a growing pipeline in waste-to-energy solutions. Its consistent dividend profile and commitment to advancing Aotearoa’s net-zero energy transition made it an attractive investment. Yet the real significance lies in ownership: keeping these assets Māori- and community-owned safeguards energy sovereignty and ensures that profits flow back into the local economy, rather than overseas.
The Tōtara consortium brought together iwi Māori investors with a shared vision: embed te ao Māori values into the clean energy transition and enable intergenerational stewardship of the resources that sustain us. By contributing catalytic capital to the Tōtara bid, Te Pae helped smaller Māori entities—often excluded from infrastructure deals of this scale—gain access to this opportunity.
Keeping energy resources in New Zealand is vital for three reasons:
Energy Security – Local ownership ensures decisions about pricing, access, and investment are made in the interests of New Zealanders, not external shareholders.
Economic Inclusion – Profits from renewable energy remain in Aotearoa, building community wealth and reinvesting in Māori and regional development.
Values-Led Transition – Embedding te ao Māori principles strengthens the integrity of the net-zero transition, aligning climate solutions with cultural stewardship and long-term kaitiakitanga.
This deal exemplifies Soul Capital’s mission to align financial capital with systemic impact. It illustrates how impact investment is not just about clean energy, but about who owns and benefits from it. By backing iwi-led ownership of Pioneer Energy, Te Pae is helping reshape the future of energy in Aotearoa—one where sovereignty, sustainability, and social equity go hand in hand.
At its core, this investment is a statement: New Zealand’s energy future must be powered by its people, for its people.
Further Reading