Report questions pace of EV charger rollout

Transport officials have warned New Zealand may struggle to meet the Government’s target of 10,000 public EV chargers by 2030 without additional funding.

Reporting by Newsroom says charger growth has slowed since the Government shifted from grants to concessionary loans and EV uptake weakened.

There were 1466 public charging points by the end of 2025, meaning about 174 would need to be installed each month to reach the target, Newsroom reports.

Climate Change and Energy Minister Simon Watts says the Government remains committed to the goal and expects private investment to help expand the network.

The National Party first proposed the delivery of 10,000 public EV charges as part of its 2023 election promise while in opposition. It pitched a $257 million investment over four years as part of the roll out.

In delivering more EV chargers, National said it would revive the ultra-fast broadband (UFB) funding model to deliver a nationwide EV charging network and will also eliminate the need for resource consents for EV charging points to reduce up-front costs.

In April last year, the Government announced updates to the way it co-invests in public electric vehicle (EV) chargers with the private sector to accelerate the delivery of EV chargers across New Zealand.

Under the policy, the Government moved away from direct grants toward concessionary loans for private charging operators, with up to $68.5 million set aside to help co-fund new infrastructure projects.