Solar panels at St John Wānaka will provide much needed service to rural areas

St John Wānaka celebrates the successful installation of their brand new SolarZero system.

St John Wānaka hosted a community event at the station last week, to celebrate winning lower energy bills for the next two decades.

The charity was publicly voted the winner of this year’s SolarZero’s Solar Future Competition.

The competition was launched in 2023 to help give back to the Upper Clutha community, with the winner receiving lower energy bills and access to a solar subscription valued at $45,000.

St John Wānaka marked the occasion with a blessing of the solar system installation, made up of panels and battery, at the station.

Chairwoman of the Wānaka area committee of St John, Dell Taylor, said the solar panels weren’t just important to the station.

“We are thrilled to be the recipient of this generous win and equally thrilled that our whole community will benefit.”

Taylor said adding solar panels and a battery was a “game changer”.

“We have the assurance we’ll be able to operate during civil emergencies when our community needs us the most.

“St John Wānaka services a large region including halfway to Queenstown, up to the Lindis Pass, and past Makarora as well as Hawea, Luggate and Tarras, with some callouts taking over an hour to reach.”

Taylor said keeping frontline ambulances on the road was a costly exercise.

“So this win means lower power bills and they can keep up their efforts in servicing their rural community.

“We have a vibrant station, with a great atmosphere, dedicated staff and volunteers, and a great relationship with our local Police and Fire Service’”.

St John Wānaka hosted a community event after winning the solar panels.

The system’s installation will also allow St John to continue focusing on its community care initiatives beyond providing ambulance services — including its youth cadet programme, outreach therapy pet programme, first-aid training, and monthly community lunch.

Matt Ward, chief executive of SolarZero, said he was inspired by the outpouring of support for St John Wānaka and the work it did for the local community.

“The way Wānaka rallied around St John and our other competition nominees last year highlighted how important local initiatives are to tight-knit communities,” he said.

Taylor said sharing the win with the community at the station was special.

“It was a pleasure to bring the local community together and celebrate installing our system, and how it’ll help us continue serving our region.”