NZ’s ‘largest wind farm’ gets fast-track approval after previous refusal

Thursday, 2 April 2026

Contact Energy has received resource consent from a fast-track expert panel to build what may be the country’s largest wind farm, in Southland, 30 kilometres from Gore.

Approval for the project had previously been declined in March last year under the preceding consenting regime.

The green light from the Fast-track panel allows Contact to erect 55 large wind turbines, each capable of generating up to 7 megawatts of electricity.

Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop said the investment would provide power for “up to 150,000 households”, inject $13.5 million into the local economy and generate 300 jobs during its construction phase.

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Once commissioned, the wind farm would employ between 10 and 14 people.

“The real significance of this infrastructure lies in the ability to unlock further investment and attract new industry to the region,” he said.

Simon Watts, who will be succeeded by Simeon Brown as Energy Minister, said it would be the country’s biggest wind farm to date.

The previous decision to decline consent for the initiative had been largely due to concerns about the “landscape and visual effects on the surrounding rural environment”, he said.