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the donations or foreign interventions into the remote the development discourse prior to implementing
human development may find common ground programs.
with the residents and succeed. The adoption of the
sustainability ballasts for policy makers, government Since the sustainability balance originated from the
economists and electrical engineers will result in a remote residents participation, it will be empowering
change in the way these professionals conduct their if similar exercises can be done when planning
work. For policy makers more consultation with the project development initiatives. This suggestion
community will be necessary to understand the is made to facilitate more local involvement so
resident’s perspectives so that financial allocations that ownership and responsibility of the system
will go into systems which the citizens will be able can remain with the community and support local
to support in the long term. Engineers will need to autonomy. In addition, the participation from the
become more multi-faceted/ multi-disciplinary and community can inform changes and provide efficient
open to understanding, relating and translating local techniques. Altogether, the sustainability balance
residents desires and aspiration into tangible devices provides a plan and check process in the project roll-
and systems that will not incur unmanageable debt out since the assessments can be completed before
in remote villages. Economists may have to rethink and after the implementation.
the non-tangible measure of wealth similar to such
measures of remote residents happiness, well-being The novel contribution of this paper is the
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and resilience to natural disasters and climate change. development of an alternative framework, whereby
the values and world-view aspects of indigenous
This research reinforces the need for an all inclusive communities are better included in electrification
approach by developing countries’ governments, decision-making. The sustainability balance is a
economists, policy makers, engineers and tool for policy makers, economists, local residents
remote residents to ensuring that the remaining and engineers to co-design a successful remote
communities that have no access to electricity will electrification system that will result in system-level
have affordable, sustainable, modern and reliable designs for utility services, policy framework and
energy services by 2030. suitable technologies.

6. Conclusion
We learn why the projects fail because they refuse Author Contributions:
NB developed the conceptual draft. NB provided data for development of the
to assume the economic practices in the developed sustainability balance, SK and DP reviewed the manuscript, added sub ideas,
world. The remote residents way of life supports and edited. All authors reviewed the final manuscript.
them providing for their basic and essential needs. Funding:
This research was funded by the College of Engineering, Department of
Electricity, education, health, communication and Mechanical Engineering, University of Canterbury and the New Zealand
productivity in a remote community will continue Aid Programme is the New Zealand Government’s international aid and
development agency through a fully funded scholarship to the first author.
to demand expensive capital investments. The Institutional Review Board Statement:
operational upkeep of these systems is often The study was conducted according to the guidelines of the Ethics Approval
jeopardised due to lack of motivation for operating committee of the University of Canterbury (Protocol Code HEC 2017/40 28
June, 2017)
in a regimented manner as their urban counterparts.
This paper does not present a solution to making Informed Consent Statement:
Informed consent was obtained from all subjects involved in the study.
remote residents pay for development services, Data Availability Statement:
however, it highlights why residents will continue to The data is stored in the College of Engineering, University of Canterbury,
avoid payment of rents for top-down installations database.
and how a new method for remote development Acknowledgments:
The authors will like to express gratitude to the Toshao and residents of
through a the sustainability balance can be beneficial Kabakaburi for their support and co-operation in completing this study.
especially if donor organisations can coordinate Conflicts of Interest:
the grants and have local community involved in The authors declare no conflict of interest.

24. De Neve, J.E.; Sachs, J.D. The SDGs and human well-being: a global analysis of synergies, trade-offs, and regional differences. Scientific reports 2020, 10, 1–12.

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