Power on for NZ's remotest school
Pittt Island upgrades to reliable power source to allow uninterrupted lessons
We had a question and answer time with the [school children] where we
learnt a lot about each other and our different lifestyles. Robert Gunn, Downs Group managing
director
Five staff members from a Marton-based company got a taste of life on a remote island earlier this year when they travelled to Pitt Island/ Rangiauria to install a new electricity system.
The Downs Group, an electrical and mechanical contracting company, was tasked with installing a “Base Power” supply unit to provide the island’s school with more reliable electricity.
Pitt Island/Rangiauria, the secondlargest island of the Chatham Archipelago, lies around 23km south of Chatham Island, and 770km east of the New Zealand mainland.
The school is the hub of the community of only 21 households, and has been plagued by power issues in the past.
Pitt Island School principal Wendy Bishell said that with no electricity network on the island, the school relied on solar panels and a generator to charge batteries, which were unreliable and cost around $13,000 a year in diesel alone.
“The old system interfered every day with students’ learning and our administrator’s computer, as it would run out of power twice a day,” Bishell said.
“This meant having to turn on the noisy generator. We also would run out of power during the night, which played havoc with the freezer, oven use and heating up the water.”
The Ministry of Education tasked the company to head to Pitt Island/ Rangiauria to install a new generator for the school.
The generator, designed by Powerco, uses primarily solar to generate power that’s stored in on-board batteries. When there’s insufficient sun, a generator kicks in to supplement the shortage.
Five staff from the Downs Group headed to the island, flying from Wellington to the Chatham Islands before catching a boat to Pitt Island.
Managing director Robert Gunn said the trip was a worthwhile experience.
“For two of the staff members they had worked there before and were keen to return. The other three were first timers. Everyone enjoyed the experience including the air flight from Wellington to the Chatham Islands, then travelling by boat to Pitt Island,” Gunn said.
“The accommodation was first rate and we got to taste the island food, including wild sheep and pork, weka, paua and other delights.”
Gunn said the presence of five unknown contractors on the island sparked some curiosity, with students excited about the project.
“The school children were very interested in what we were doing and at the end of our stay we had a question and answer time with them where we learnt a lot about each other and our different lifestyles.”