2. Question No. 2—Energy and ResourcesHon AUPITO WILLIAM SIO (Labour—Māngere) to the Minister of Energy and ResourcesQuestion No. 2—Energy and Resources2. Hon AUPITO WILLIAM SIO (Labour—Māngere) to the Minister of Energy and Resources: How is the Government supporting communities to be more energy resilient?Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS (Minister of Energy and Resources): Through Budget 2023 the Government has committed to extending our successful community energy programme partnering with local organisations including iwi to deliver more community-based renewable electricity projects. My intention is for this funding to enable at least 2000 additional households to benefit from renewable electricity generation. The loss of electricity following the Auckland floods and Cyclone Gabrielle highlighted the importance of building resilience in our electricity system especially for small and isolated communities and our Government is committed to continuing to deliver the support to build resilience. Hon Aupito William Sio: What type of projects will be delivered as a result of this Budget 2023 funding?Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS: We are investing in community energy projects such as wind power and solar generation and batteries that will improve energy security. This will support target communities to get secure renewable and affordable energy. Many of these projects will enable a reliable supply of renewable energy growing their resilience to natural hazards when power lines go down and reducing their power bills.Hon Aupito William Sio: What support has the Government already delivered for community-based renewable electricity projects?Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS: Through our Māori and Public Housing Renewable Energy Fund we've delivered 30 renewable energy projects with a further 12 currently under construction. When all of these projects are complete 435 homes will benefit. We've rolled out solar photovoltaic systems on 170 public homes across New Zealand including in Wellington Hawke's Bay Whangārei Nelson Gisborne Auckland Hamilton and Christchurch. Some households funded with solar and battery systems reported they could keep the lights on when the local area was without mains power for five days following Cyclone Gabrielle.Hon Aupito William Sio: In addition to improving energy resilience what other benefits are provided by community-based renewable electricity projects?Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS: Our Government's funding through successive Budgets has helped increase energy resilience—particularly in small and isolated communities—and reduced power bills. Early reports from completed projects show all households are experiencing significantly reduced power bills by in some cases up to 50 percent which provides immediate financial relief for those families.Hon Aupito William Sio: Where can people find out more about community energy?Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS: Ara Ake New Zealand's future energy centre which was established by the Government in 2019 has recently launched its Community Energy How to Guide which provides advice for communities interested in developing community energy. The guide available on Ara Ake's website demonstrates how community-scale projects can align with the grid to improve resilience reduce costs and lower emissions. I want to congratulate Ara Ake for their hard work on this project.