“I’ve known the men and women here for quite a long time and seen how much effort and time they give out of their personal lives,” he said.
“During Gabrielle I came in and saw how exhausted everyone was. They’d been going for days with no power, sleep or showers, all out of the goodness of their hearts. We wanted to give something back.”
The 16.2kW solar installation, paired with a 15kW inverter and battery backup, means the entire station can now operate independently during outages.
Hillmac donated its labour and organised fundraising across the community, supported by local businesses.
Chief fire officer Rod Triplow, who has served more than 50 years, remembers what it was like when Gabrielle hit.
“We’d been here since 7pm with our training before the first callout about 10 o’clock that night,” he said.
“It was still dark when we realised we’d lost power … We were out helping people from flooded homes, then we had no lights, no hot water, no way to make hot drinks, nor charge radios or phone … we also lost communications.
“Crews came back wet and cold and couldn’t even have a shower. We became a focal point for the community, but we didn’t have anything to offer them.”
The volunteers spent days responding to calls, including evacuations and house fires, while giving away their own portable generators to keep a nearby medical centre’s vaccines cold.
Station officer Mark Cooper said the experience changed the brigade’s thinking.
“It showed how reliant we are on power and communications.
“After the cyclone we realised going solar would make us more self-sufficient and allow us to be a place for the community.”
With 34 members, the brigade responds to about 300 calls a year, all on a volunteer basis.
Deputy chief Kevin Lay hopes the new system will inspire others.
“As far as we know, it’s one of the first in the country … Maybe they can use this as a test.”
A Fire and Emergency New Zealand spokesperson said it had endorsed the community-funded project in August 2025.
“We have some other solar technology systems operating across the country,” the spokesperson said.
“While this initiative is not a formal trial of solar technology, we will monitor the project to assess its benefits.”
