Meridian charger use up 30% in six months, with 36 more North Island charge-points coming

Meridian Energy says the number of active users on its public EV charging network has grown 30% in the past six months. It counts an active user as someone who charges at least once a week on average.

The amount of electricity delivered through the network over the past 12 months is more than double the previous year.

Meridian now has 570 public charge-points, 335 in the South Island and 235 in the North Island. After two years focused on the South Island, it is expanding in the North Island, with 36 more charge-points due in the next few months. They include ultra-rapid chargers in Hawke’s Bay, Rotorua, Bay of Plenty, Palmerston North, Warkworth and Hamilton.

“What’s clear is that EVs are becoming a mainstream choice for Kiwis. The growth isn’t just in vehicle sales, it’s in the number of people regularly using public EV chargers as part of everyday life,” says Meridian chief customer officer Lisa Hannifin.

Meridian cites EVDB figures showing EVs and PHEVs took 23.7% of new vehicle sales from January to September 2026, with the share of EVs and PHEVs sold up 166.9% and 111.6% respectively on the year before. In September alone, one in four new vehicles registered had a plug.

“Driving an EV isn’t just a cleaner choice, it can be a smart financial choice too. Using electricity to power both your home and your car creates a real opportunity to reduce your total energy costs,” Hannifin says.

“We want to make it as easy as possible for more Kiwis to take advantage of that. We’re on a mission to deliver New Zealand’s largest and most-loved EV network, and it’s encouraging to see just how many Kiwi EV drivers are already tapping into that network and enjoying electric transport.”