McCaws Named 2026 Arable Farmers of the Year
The arable sector losing good people and land is a major concern for the 2026 Arable Farmers of the Year, Mid Canterbury seed growers John and Mel McCaw.
The programme wins the Low Carbon Future category at the New Zealand Energy Excellence Awards in Wellington on 18 August.
Coal-Fired Boilers Replaced Across Three Sites
The four-year programme, delivered in conjunction with industrial heat pump specialist Active Refrigeration, reduces coal use with heat pumps at Alliance's Lorneville, Mataura and Pukeuri sites, using waste heat and local water sources to produce hot water for processing.
Wayne Shaw, Operations Director at Alliance, says the award recognises the scale and impact of the company's investment in lower-emissions process heat.
"This programme is cutting around 24,680 tonnes of CO₂e each year by replacing ageing coal-fired boilers with highly efficient heat pump systems," says Shaw.
"It is a major shift in how heat is supplied at large industrial processing sites and shows what can be achieved when industry invests in practical decarbonisation.
"We are proud the project has been recognised nationally. It demonstrates that large energy users can reduce emissions at scale while strengthening resilience and competitiveness."
Design, Delivery and Site Upgrades
Alliance teams work with Active Refrigeration on the design, delivery and commissioning of the integrated heat recovery and multi-stage heat pump projects.
The programme includes new buildings at Mataura and Pukeuri to house the heat pumps, while the Lorneville heat pump is installed in the existing engine room.
Significant upgrades are also made to site pipework and potable water systems so the new heat pumps can be fully integrated into daily operations.
At Pukeuri and Mataura, water-sourced heat pumps using dam and river water add capacity beyond what can be captured from refrigeration waste heat alone.
This programme is made possible through co-funding provided by EECA under its Government Investment in Decarbonising Industry (GIDI) Fund.
