Meridian rolls out its 500th EV charger in New Zealand

Damien O’Carroll

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  • Meridian Energy has announced the opening of its 500th public EV fast charger in New Zealand.
  • The company has opened 120 new EV charge points since November, including 18 this month alone.
  • Meridian plans to roll out a further 900 chargers between now and 2030.

Range anxiety is fast becoming a thing of the past for Kiwi travellers as Meridian celebrates a major milestone in the electrification of New Zealand’s roads. The energy provider has officially clocked up 500 EV charge points across the country, signalling a massive leap forward in the creation of a connected and cohesive national charging network.

With 120 new points opened since November - including 18 in May alone - Meridian is aggressively filling gaps in the network. While New Zealand still trails the global average of EVs per charge point, Meridian Head of Energy Richard Sandford says the momentum is shifting rapidly.

Meridian says it has seen a surge in new users in the last four months as fuel prices increase.

“The case for EVs has never been stronger, and electric journeys are getting easier almost by the day," said Sandford, citing the company's commitment to roll out a further 900 public charge points through to 2030.

"We want to build New Zealand’s largest and most-loved EV charging network, and we’re well on the way. We’ve been focused on filling the gaps across New Zealand’s charging network, and over the last 12 months we’ve made massive improvements to the South Island. We’re now looking towards the central and upper North Island as we continue to build a connected and cohesive national charging network."

The company says it has been concentrating on filling gaps in New Zealand's charging network, with new chargers in places like Cromwell.

Potential North Island locations have been already identified in Manawatu, Hawke’s Bay, Bay of Plenty, Waikato, Auckland and Northland, while further South Island sites are also planned.

Sandford says that New Zealand currently has about 80 EVs per charge point, while the global average is 11 EVs per charge point, but the latest data from Meridian’s Zero EV charging network points to a surge of interest pushed along by rising fuel prices and supply uncertainty due to the Iran conflict.

According to the company it has seen 75 percent growth in weekly users and around 70 percent growth in weekly app registrations since December 2025.