Hauāuru mā raki - Waikato wind farm proposal

The Hauāuru mā raki wind farm project was granted resource consent in May 2011. This page outlines the wind farm proposal and links to media releases about the project. In August 2013, Contact Energy announced its decision to exit the development of the project.

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The proposal

Contact proposed to locate the Hauāuru mā raki wind farm on the west coast of the North Island.

The proposed site is along approximately 34km of coastline starting four kilometres south of Port Waikato and ending at Te Akau, some eight kilometres north of Raglan. 

The original proposal for Hauāuru mā raki would produce up to 540 megawatts (MW) of electricity, and the proposal includes the construction, operation and maintenance of a 220kV transmission line, three substations, associated support structures, equipment and facilities.

The project description was amended in 2009 as follows:

  1. deletion of 12 turbines (A017-22, A031, C014, D019, E018, E035 and I011), leaving a total of 168 proposed turbines;
  2. alignment of turbine access roads;
  3. relocation of spoil disposal sites to the leeward side of ridges;
  4. reduction in the size of turbine consent areas;
  5. reduction of the carriageway width of access roads from 10 metres to 7.5 metres, which for the main access in Block C through Te Umukaraka Bush has been further reduced to 6 metres (on straight sections);
  6. introduction of buffer and cautionary zones around sensitive features;
  7. introduction of maximum earthworks dimensions;
  8. removal of planned trimming of native vegetation.

Contact has also reviewed and refined the proposed transmission line corridor in accordance with the Adjournment Actions.

The call in

Contact’s proposal for the Hauāuru mā raki wind farm was originally called in, under the Resource Management Act, by the Minister for the Environment Trevor Mallard in August 2008. The Minister then appointed the Board of Inquiry to consider the proposal.

In August 2013, Contact Energy announced their decision to exit the development of the project.