Battery Storage for Energy Security: Perspectives from New Zealand and Germany

Peter Bartlett is the Director - Innovation and International (formerly Sector Engagement) within the Energy Markets group at the New Zealand Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE).

Hayden Mackenzie is the Head of Energy Investment at Invest NZ – New Zealand’s foreign direct investment agency. Hayden focuses on the attraction and acceleration of investment into energy and industrial projects in New Zealand.

Hayden supports New Zealand businesses in their investment preparation and works closely with investors and developers from across the world to smooth their entry to New Zealand.

In his career prior to joining Invest NZ, Hayden worked as an exploration geologist in New Zealand, Indonesia, and Canada before transitioning into venture capital.

Hayden holds a BSc in Geology and MSc in Engineering Geology from the University of Canterbury, Master of Legal Studies from the University of Auckland, and an MBA from the University of British Columbia.

Tyler Byers is a Senior Strategy Advisor at Transpower New Zealand, with over 15 years’ experience across the energy sector. He has worked across transmission, distribution, and government agencies, with a focus on commercial, strategic, and policy development.

Natalie Bartos is an experienced energy-sector professional with more than 22 years’ experience in New Zealand’s electricity sector. She has deep expertise in wholesale market design, regulation, planning, and project delivery.

Before joining the Electricity Authority, Natalie spent more than 18 years at Transpower in a range of leadership, operational, planning, and project management roles. At the Authority, she leads the Operations Policy team, which develops wholesale market policy to support an effective and evolving electricity system. She is passionate about fostering collaboration across the sector and building strong relationships with stakeholders to tackle the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand's energy future.

Gerrit Lühring works for the German Energy Storage Systems Association (Bundesverband Energiespeicher Systeme e. V., BVES), the German industry association for energy storage systems. His professional focus is particularly on the regulation and political framework for energy storage, as well as the development and integration of large-scale battery storage systems. 

His work includes issues such as grid connections, network charges, and the regulatory requirements for energy storage projects. As a representative of the BVES, Lühring regularly participates in industry events and contributes to discussions and position papers on the development of the energy storage market in Germany and Europe. 

He is also listed in the German Bundestag’s Lobby Register as a person involved in representing the interests of the BVES.

With more than two decades of experience in the energy and software industries, Alexander Born has built a career around transforming complex business challenges into scalable technology solutions. Holding a Diplom Betriebswirtschaft (FH) from the University of Applied Sciences Mittweida, he was instrumental in the growth of one of Germany's largest independent energy retailers, leading customer operations for approximately 2 million customers.

As the founder and CEO of Robotron New Zealand, Alexander has successfully established and expanded the company into a leading energy software provider serving many of New Zealand's most prominent energy businesses. His expertise spans energy retailing, customer operations, digital transformation, market systems, and business growth in highly competitive energy markets.

A passionate advocate for innovation, people, and sustainable growth, Alexander combines strategic leadership with hands-on industry experience across Europe and New Zealand.