History is made in Strasbourge Street

Some might call making history prosaic. Others _ marvellous, fascinating, even “about time.”

On July 3 some 40-plus people gathered to witness the ‘firing up’ of Martinborough’s first public Electric Vehicle _ EV _ chargers at the Waihenga St Marks Masonic Lodge on Strasbourge. 

Jim Watt, Grand Master of Freemasons in New Zealand, said the newly-installed chargers were the group’s pilot EV charger project and part of the Freemasons’ mission to “become a greater part of 

the community and to support the community.” 

These first three Martinborough charging points will make the town “a more convenient place to live and visit,” he said, adding that if the initiative succeeds the Freemasons will roll out more chargers in communities around the country.

“This furthers our journey in making a real difference in New Zealand, ensuring that all communities, no matter how small or remote, have access to modern and efficient transport solutions,” he told the gathering. 

“This initiative is about more than just providing a place to charge electric vehicles; it’s about engaging with our local communities and enhancing our town’s infrastructure. By installing these EV chargers, we aim to support the local community and make Martinborough an even more convenient place to live and visit.”

“It is my hope that this station will serve the people of Martinborough for a long time to come and that this is only the start of many other forms of social and environmental investment in our communities,” he added.

Watt acknowledged the support of the project’s partners who included Thundergrid, the firm which 

manages the bills and supports the chargers with their software. He also acknowledged the people and businesses in Martinborough who supported installation of the chargers.

To use the three charge points, people need to download Thundergrid’s web-based App to their phones.

South Wairarapa Mayor Martin Connelly _ an EV driver _ thanked the Freemasons and spoke of the benefits that would result from this initial EV project. 

He noted benefits to the environment as more people would now purchase EVs, knowing that they had back-up charging options. Tourism in the district would also benefit because EV drivers would be more likely to take trips to the scenic coastal parts of the community if they knew there would be easy and accessible charging options. 

He urged tourism operators to advertise the availability of chargers in the town. He also outlined benefits to the town, as visitors often went shopping or had something to eat or drink while they charged their EVs.

To wrap up the ceremony guests went outside to watch Grand Master Watt and Mayor Connelly plug EVs into the chargers for the first time.

Pain & Kershaw also has a project under way to install two EV chargers in its shopping carpark. 

Two pix Captions: 

Men in the middle with Chains: Freemasons Grand Master Jim Watt and Mayor Martin Connelly with guests at EV charger launch.

Mayor Connelly plugs in an EV charger as Freemasons Grand Master Jim Watt watches on.