Power Shift Breakfast Recap: Turning Ambition into Action

On Thursday 21 August 2025, Generate Zero and Tower Insurance hosted the Power Shift breakfast, where sustainability leaders came together to explore how New Zealand can accelerate its renewable energy transition.

The conversation featured bold ideas from innovators including Rod Drury, alongside insights from Generate Zero’s own Carmen Vicelich and Anna Curzon.

In the video below, Anna and Carmen share their reflections on the event, including why this moment matters for New Zealand, what it will take to turn ambition into action, and how Generate Zero’s newly enhanced Reduction Module is helping organisations move beyond measurement into real emissions reduction.

Scroll on for highlights and images from the morning.

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Alongside the conversations and reflections, the Power Shift breakfast brought together some of New Zealand’s leading voices in sustainability, business, and technology.

The energy in the room reflected a shared ambition to accelerate the renewable transition and showcase how innovation and collaboration can create real impact.

Here are a few highlights from the morning:

— Data and Adaptation: Tower Insurance CEO Paul Johnston spoke about the critical role of data in helping Kiwis understand and adapt to natural hazard risks, calling for greater transparency and a bipartisan climate adaptation framework.

— Global Demand for Transparency: Generate Zero’s Global Growth Officer Anna Curzon emphasised that global momentum for sustainability reporting is not slowing down, with customers, stakeholders, and investors all demanding more clarity.

— New Zealand’s Renewable Energy Opportunity: Xero founder and renewable energy advocate Rod Drury presented a bold vision for New Zealand to become the “All Blacks of Renewable Energy,” led by private sector investment rather than waiting for government.

— Structural Change and Investment: Drury also called for the structural separation of electricity generation and retailing to accelerate investment, and highlighted hydrogen as a major future opportunity.

— Technology as a Catalyst: Generate Zero Founder Carmen Vicelich unveiled the upgraded Reduction Planning Module, designed to help organisations move beyond measurement into real emissions reduction.

The Power Shift breakfast was a reminder that New Zealand’s path to a renewable future will be built on bold ideas, strong collaboration, and practical action.

At Generate Zero, our purpose is to help organisations move from ambition to measurable results, and the launch of our upgraded Reduction Module is another step toward that goal.

We are excited to continue working with businesses that are serious about net zero and ready to turn plans into progress.

Contact us to learn more about the Reduction Module.