From Norway with Sustainable Love
Natalie and Mikkel Becker-Aakervik are a dynamic duo working side by side in the film and television industry. The pair
are based in Oslo, Norway, and that is where a date with fate saw them bumping into an equally irrepressible Kiwi
couple, Steve and Dee West.
In February of this year, Natalie and Mikkel managed the filming and interviews for the internationally attended Nordic
EV summit in Drammen Norway. This summit is where they met the two small and feisty Kiwis who have been working hard to
help speed up the adoption of Electric Vehicle technology in New Zealand.
Steve and Dee West, of ChargeNet NZ, are avid EV enthusiasts. Together with a team of friends, champions and volunteers,
are working tirelessly to roll out the world’s largest privately held fast charging network for electric Vehicles.
Natalie and Mikkel’s production company; Thought Leader Global has a deep focus on sharing a message of hope, community,
respect and sustainability. The pair travelled extensively through Europe and Scandinavia in their lovely little LEAF (a
full battery electric car) connecting with, and filming hundreds of people and organisations working on sustainable
projects.
“People need to know that caring for the planet and its resources doesn’t have to be a chore, it can be beautiful. And
just look at the interesting people we always get to meet!” explains Natalie when asked about her passion.
The couples have remained in contact and were hoping they could all catch up in New Zealand soon. The Wests wanted to
show the film star and producer around the country that they are both so proud of. Natalie will be on a promotional tour
for a recent movie, in her homeland of South Africa in April and May. She and Mikkel kindly offered to come and join the
#LeadingTheCharge road trip and document and film it at no charge.
They are keen to connect with as many sustainability-minded Kiwis as they can as they journey from Invercargill to
Auckland from April 19th – May 3rd.
Find local events in a town near you on the #LeadingTheCharge website: www.leadingthecharge.org.nz and you can experience the joy of driving on clean New Zealand electricity, and connect with a variety of local
sustainability champions.
Thought Leader Global
· Thought Leader Global was formed to connect with and encourage international conversations of community,
sustainability, and innovation
· Mikkel and Natalie have committed themselves to seeking global opportunities to find and capture stories of hope and
sustainability
· Expressions of interest from New Zealand media to connect with Thought Leader Global can be directed to post@thoughtleader.global
· Natalie Becker has an extensive film and television career and information on her work can be found at IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1799082/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1
#LeadingTheCharge Points of Interest
· There will be at least 4 Tesla available for test rides and public viewing for the duration of the road trip. Two of
these cars will have the much talked about “Ludicrous” mode (0-100kph in 3.0 seconds)
· Local EV owners are encouraged to take part and meet up
· There are over 3000 plug in Electric Vehicles registered on New Zealand roads as of March 2017
· The number of registered plug-in EV has more than doubled in the past 12 months, following the same exponential growth
curve as other countries moving toward EV technology
· New Zealand boasts 80% renewable electricity generation, which means charging and driving your EV in New Zealand will
not cost the earth
· ChargeNet is the major sponsor for this year’s event. ChargeNet are working tirelessly to encourage world class
charging infrastructure in New Zealand, because they know, if you build it, they will come
· The #LeadingTheCharge road trip is possible thanks to collaboration, support and sponsorship from ethical companies
across NZ
· #LeadingTheCharge and the Better NZ Charitable trust are keen to hear from anyone who would like to help with this
year’s road trip through sponsorship, volunteering or participating on any level
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