Ezra Hirawani

Young New Zealander of the Year 2022, tackling power poverty for thousands of whānau through Nau Mai Rā.

“In Aotearoa, power is treated more like a commodity rather than the essential service that we all know it is. As a result, over 100,000 whānau can’t afford to pay for the cost of power needed to fuel their homes and provide their families with warm dry homes. We exist to change that and remove whānau from energy hardship – one whānau at a time.”

Ezra is the cofounder of Nau Mai Rā, Aotearoa New Zealand’s first Māori electricity retailer with a goal to lift Kiwis out of power poverty. Nau Mai Rā is a company built on Māori principles, allowing people to pay for power while donating money to their local marae and whānau at the same time. To help alleviate energy hardship, the company does not do credit checks or have a disconnection policy.

In 2021 Ezra was awarded The Impact Award for Inclusion from Inspiring Stories, and in March 2022 was Awarded Young New Zealander of the Year.