The framework is built around three connected levels, each with a different role. The important difference is that they work together without becoming one central organisation. People and organisations remain responsible for their own activities, WE Share supports participation and coordination, and the Foundation provides long-term stewardship.

This creates a stronger community side of the relationship. Communities can identify their own priorities, bring their resources together and work with existing organisations on fair terms, rather than having their participation defined by outside interests. The opportunity is to create greater value collectively — value that benefits both communities and the wider systems they are part of — while keeping more of that value anchored locally. The structure helps carry that purpose forward as people, projects and partnerships change.

The ambition is to explore new ways for society to work — ways that strengthen communities, build resilience and give people a greater role in shaping their own futures.

Tier 1 — Community Participation & Project Circles

This is where people, businesses and organisations may choose to participate. They bring their knowledge and resources together around practical opportunities, develop projects and remain responsible for the work they undertake.

Tier 2 — Community Facilitation & Coordination

This is the community-side framework that helps independent people, businesses and organisations work together toward an identified community outcome. It supports participation, helps bring resources and contributions together, and coordinates activity where useful and agreed.

WE Share Community Power is the first practical expression of this layer, beginning with community energy on Waiheke Island. It is helping people and organisations explore how their combined energy resources can create greater value — for themselves, their community and the wider electricity system — while retaining a fairer share of that value locally.

Tier 3 — Platform One Foundation

Platform One Foundation provides long-term stewardship for the wider purpose. Through its trustees and other authorised people, it helps carry forward the principles, knowledge and learning, and provides the legal and fiduciary structure where required.

The three levels work together while keeping their roles and responsibilities clear.

From Community Need to Aligned Action

Communities already know how to act on things that matter to them. The opportunity is to help independent people, organisations and projects work in greater alignment so their efforts can contribute to stronger, community-first outcomes.

People do not need to agree on everything. They need enough shared purpose to work together around a clearly understood community need, opportunity or longer-term direction.

Project Circles provide a practical way for the people and organisations involved to take responsibility for particular pieces of work, while remaining independent.

The facilitation and coordination layer helps connect those efforts around an identified community outcome. In WE Share, that means helping people, businesses and organisations coordinate their contributions toward the longer-term Power-Positive Waiheke direction, where they choose to participate and where coordination is useful and agreed.

The aim is to help independent contributions reinforce one another, creating greater value for the people taking part, the community and the wider electricity system, while retaining a fairer share of that value locally.

When that happens, separate efforts can add up to increased value and stronger, more durable community benefit.

The Principles That Hold It Together

The structure is guided by a small number of clear principles:

• Community first — the test is whether the work contributes to meaningful, lasting benefit for the community.
• Shared purpose without requiring agreement — people and organisations do not need to agree on everything; they need enough alignment around the outcome they are working toward.
• Voluntary participation — people and organisations choose whether and how they take part.
• Clear roles and responsibility — each participant remains responsible for their own decisions, commitments and obligations.
• Independence — working together does not require people or organisations to give up their identity, authority or autonomy.
• Transparency — roles, interests, risks and arrangements should be clear and understandable.
• Fair value and non-extraction — community contributions should be recognised fairly. Partnerships should create value for both communities and the wider systems they are part of, while keeping more of the value communities help create anchored locally.
• Environmental care — practical work should contribute to long-term environmental wellbeing and the interests of future generations.
• Evidence before assertion — what works should be determined through practical experience, measurement and evidence.

Clear Roles and Responsibilities

Different parts of the structure have different responsibilities, while each participant remains independent.

Project Circles bring together the people and organisations who choose to take responsibility for specific community priorities and practical projects.

Community Facilitation & Coordination layer helps independent people, businesses and organisations who may choose to participate work toward an identified community outcome. WE Share Community Power is its first practical expression, supporting voluntary participation and coordination around Waiheke’s community energy direction, where useful and agreed.

Platform One Foundation provides the independent long-term stewardship around the work — protecting community purpose, continuity, independence, accumulated learning and the principle that communities should receive a fair share of the value their participation helps create.

Partners and participants bring the specialist knowledge, resources, technology and capability needed to turn community priorities into practical outcomes. They retain their own roles, responsibilities and independence.

How Decisions Are Made

Decisions are made as close as possible to the people and work they affect.

Project Circles make decisions about the practical initiatives they are responsible for, involving the people and organisations relevant to that work.

Community Facilitation & Coordination layer supports voluntary participation and coordination around an identified community outcome. In WE Share Community Power, that means helping independent people, businesses and organisations coordinate their contributions toward Waiheke’s community energy direction, where useful and agreed. Decisions about practical work remain with the people and organisations responsible for it.

Platform One Foundation Trustees are responsible for the legal, financial and fiduciary decisions that sit with the Foundation, while protecting the long-term community-first purpose.

Partners and participating organisations remain responsible for decisions within their own areas of expertise, authority and responsibility.

This keeps decision-making distributed and practical while allowing independent efforts to contribute toward shared purpose and stronger long-term community benefit.

Accountability and Safeguards

Working together does not remove responsibility. Each part of the structure remains accountable for the role it holds.

Platform One Foundation Trustees: The trustees hold the Foundation’s legal and fiduciary responsibilities and provide long-term stewardship for its purpose. Their role includes helping protect community purpose, continuity and independence, and supporting fair recognition of the value communities help create. Where the Foundation holds funding, contracts or assets, the trustees remain responsible for those obligations.

Community Facilitation & Coordination layer supports voluntary participation and coordination around an identified community outcome. In WE Share Community Power, that means helping independent people, businesses and organisations bring their contributions together toward Waiheke’s community energy direction, where useful and agreed. The people and organisations involved remain responsible for their own decisions, commitments and activities.

Project Circles are accountable for the initiatives they undertake, including their decisions, commitments and use of resources.

Partners and participating organisations remain accountable for their own professional, contractual, technical and regulatory responsibilities.

These safeguards allow people and organisations to work together without surrendering their independence, while protecting the purpose and long-term value the community is working to create.