Power consumers in Tairāwhiti engaged with 70% favouring a community trust ownership model.
Trust Tairāwhiti – first known as the Eastland Energy Community Trust – was established following electricity reforms in the early 1990s.
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1989
Electricity reforms to commercialise power boards.
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1993
Eastland Energy Ltd was formed gaining assets of Poverty Bay Electric Power Board. $20m equity retained in region through Eastland Energy Community Trust.
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1998
Reform requiring power companies to separate retail and lines businesses. Eastland Energy became Eastland Network and the retail energy business was sold.
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1999
Eastland Network expanded its generation business with the purchase of the 5MW Waihi Power Station.
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2003
The Trust bought Port Gisborne from GDC for $16m. Eastland Infrastructure Limited (EIL) was set up to manage the network and port companies.
In its first decade, the Trust assets grew from $20m to $77m.
EIL was renamed Eastland Group Limited in 2010.
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2004
Eastland Energy Community Trust becomes Eastland Community Trust(ECT)
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2005
Eastland Group takes over the management of Gisborne Airport from GDC.
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2010
Eastland Infrastructure Limited became Eastland Group Limited. Around the same time, they also purchased a geothermal power station and set up Eastland Generation Ltd.
