Show Notes
Mike Casey, cherry orchardist and CEO of Rewiring Aotearoa, shares how electrification, solar and climate action turned his New Zealand business profitable.
"Climate action is no longer a cost. Climate action is profitable."
From a suburban Wellington childhood to building a Sydney tech startup that 4 out of 5 Australian university students used to find their first job, to planting 9,300 cherry trees in Central Otago, Mike Casey's story is one of reinvention, purpose, and proving that doing right by the planet can also be the smartest money decision you'll ever make. As CEO of Rewiring Aotearoa and the 2026 Kiwibank Sustainability Leader of the Year, he's on a mission to electrify millions of fossil-fuel machines across the motu.
About Mike Casey Mike built and ran a technology startup in Sydney for over a decade before returning home to Aotearoa with his wife Rebecca to establish a cherry orchard in Central Otago. Frustrated by the "doom and gloom" climate narrative, Mike set out to prove a different story by running his orchard entirely on clean, New Zealand-made energy. Today his is a fully electric orchard: 21 electric machines and two solar systems that turned a diesel expense into a revenue stream, with farmers now visiting to see the results for themselves. Through Rewiring Aotearoa he leads the Electric Homes and Electric Farms research, showing electrification is now cheaper than fossil fuels over the lifetime of the asset, and campaigns for the policy settings to make it easy for every New Zealander to benefit.
In this episode - Why climate action is now a profitable, cost-of-living decision & not a sacrifice - How Mike turned a ~$50,000/year diesel bill into a ~$25,000/year revenue stream - What selling his business taught him about identity, purpose and willpower - The real numbers behind 21 electric machines and two solar s - Why he founded Rewiring Aotearoa and gave the whole playbook away - How everyday Kiwis can make "six good decisions in the next 10 years" - The "EV salary boost" idea to get nurses and teachers into brand-new EVs - His personal values (family, authenticity, and using privile
Timestamps (00:00) Intro (01:30) Welcome and 2026 New Zealander of the Year (02:47) Who Mike was before the mission (03:58) Where the climate frustration started (06:12) Family and the entrepreneurial thread (10:25) Rebecca, kids and the juggle (12:44) Selling up and the identity crisis (14:46) The farm and 9,300 cherry trees (16:25) Purpose risk over reputational risk (18:01) Learning cherries, then electrifying the orchard (24:12) The numbers: going electric and solar payback (28:42) Sharing the playbook and starting Rewiring Aotearoa (31:36) What an ordinary Kiwi can do: the car (33:36) The EV Salary Boost (38:32) Where Mike's personal energy comes from (42:30) Advice if you're struggling: six good decisions (46:02) Climate as an economic slam-dunk (47:24) Plug-in solar for renters (50:05) Mike's core values (51:44) Wrap-up
Links Learn more about Mike Casey and his work 🌐 Rewiring Aotearoa: https://www.rewiring.nz 🌐 Electric Cherries: https://electriccherries.nz/ 🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikesimoncasey/
Learn more about Azoora Ali 🌐 ASMA Ltd: https://www.accountingandtax.co.nz/ 🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/azooraali/
Listen to Care Beyond Profits on Spotify, Apple Podcast and YouTube 🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/53LKFfDC5hvyxKWBxpTsGg 🎧 Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/care-beyond-profits/id6798932297
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#CareBeyondProfits #PurposeDriven #Leadership #ClimateTech #Sustainability #Electrification #RewiringAotearoa #ClimateAction #SolarPower #Aotearoa
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