Frequently asked questions

Before the project is confirmed Manawa will need to complete a full assessment of environmental and technical considerations and effects for the potential wind farm development.

This assessment will inform consent application, technical design to construct and operate the wind farm, conditions associated with a wind farm development and resultant financial viability of the project.

It is very early days, but our high-level evaluation indicates that Huriwaka Wind Farm would have a capital cost of ~$800m - $1b based on a circa 300MW project.

For privacy reasons we cannot share that information, but our indicative maps show the location of the proposed wind farm. The land that the wind farm is to be built on is owned by private landowners. Manawa has agreements in place with landowners to develop the windfarm.

The impact on the local environment will be carefully considered and managed through the assessment of effects and the conditions granted as part of a successful resource consent process.

We’re completing impact assessments to look at whether the wind farm will have any cultural, visual, noise, ecological, archaeological, communications, recreational, construction or transportation impacts.

They will be made available to affected parties and the general public during the resource consent application process.

• Noise Impact Assessment: Acoustic modelling report confirms Huriwaka Wind Farm will be compliant with NZS 6808 standards (wind farm national noise standards) at neighbouring dwellings

• Ecological investigations:  Assessment of impacts on Falcon, Pekapeka (NZ long tailed bat), – New Zealand falcon, wetland, stream, vegetation and invertebrates

• Archaeological and Heritage Impacts

• Civil and geotechnical assessments

• Aviation Impacts

• Radio and Telecommunications Impacts

• Visual and Landscape Value Impacts

• Traffic Impacts

• Recreational Impacts

• Cultural Impacts are being completed by Ngāti Rangi, Ngāti Tamakōpiri and Ngāti Whitikaupeka.

A wind farm of this size is a significant opportunity for economic growth in the Rangitikei/ Ruapehu districts during both construction and ongoing maintenance and operations (30+ years).

With a capital cost of ~$800-$1b, the project would spend around $211–$233m nationally, and $70-$77m regionally after taking out the cost of imported components.

With new jobs in the area also comes support for local businesses including hospitality, accommodation, builders, heavy haulage and more.

Wind farm construction would employ around 150 to 250 full-time equivalent jobs each year over the 3-4 years of construction, and 13-15 FTEs (Full Time Employees) over the 30-year operational period.

The wind farm will be owned and operated by Manawa Energy, which means we will have a long-term presence and a strong interest in the local community around the wind farm.

If there is not enough wind, or the wind is too strong, the wind farm will not operate. Wind turbines start generating at about 12kph, are at full output at about 45kph and shut down (the blades pitch to release the forces on them) at about 90kph.

At times, yes:

During the construction phase: as part of our resource consent, we will meet NZ’s construction noise standard NZS 6803. This includes different night-time and weekend/public holiday noise level management.

During day-to-day operations: once the wind farm is complete: Diesel motors would be used from time to time when the wind farm is operational for maintenance purposes.

The Huriwaka Wind Farm site has a long-term average wind speed of 8.0 - 8.6m/s placing it in a top tier (Class 1) sector for average wind speed. Site wind monitoring data has shown a strong long-term average wind speed that would generate a significant amount of electricity.

The Huriwaka Wind Farm site has a modelled capacity factor of 38-40% (e.g. a 300MW wind farm would be operating at full capacity generating 300MW 38-40% of the time throughout the year).

The turbines under evaluation for Huriwaka Wind Farm will be the latest generation of wind turbine technology. It is envisioned these turbines will have a maximum tip height (at the top of the rotation of the blades) of up to 230m and a megawatt (MW) rating of 4.2-6.6MW per turbine. The specific size of turbine is not known until the project reaches a financial investment decision as the evolution of wind turbine technology continues to improve at a rapid pace.

If the site is decommissioned, we would look to the best available options for recycling/repurposing the wind farm components. This would be at the wind farm owner’s cost.

Approximately 85-94 per cent of a wind turbine (by mass) is recyclable. The wind industry collectively is still working on solutions for turbine blades, which are hard to recycle.

There are a few innovative blade recycling options available globally, and encouragingly, turbine manufacturers are developing recyclable blade options using new types of materials that can be separated from other components and reused in new applications.

Source: Clean Energy Council: Winding Up Decommissioning, Recycling and Resource Recovery of Australian Wind Turbines Report. 

Wind turbines are part of a global supply chain. The components are made throughout the world with the manufacturing locations for the main components (being towers, nacelles, hubs, blades, power electronics equipment) being determined at the time an order is placed. Typically, steel components (towers, hubs) come out of Asia whereas blades can come from Europe, Asia or the Americas and nacelles from Europe or Asia.

We are currently conducting comprehensive noise studies to ensure that noise will not negatively impact on the local community. Huriwaka Wind Farm will comply with New Zealand legal standards, NZS 6808 recommendations for wind farms. You can learn more about these here: NZ Wind Energy.

Noise levels vary and are monitored regularly during operation to ensure compliance with consent conditions.

Turbine lighting is based on Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) of New Zealand requirements. Currently the CAA specifies turbines at wind farms that are required to have lighting to ensure aviation safety. all night.

Lights required by the CAA are expected to include shields to reduce visual impact.

The CAA does not currently allow for this technology to be utilised.

In some instances, yes. As part of our preliminary studies, we assess the existing television and radio signal strength in the area before construction starts, so we can assess whether any later reception issues are being caused by the wind farm, and work with people to resolve these.

New Zealand television broadcasts operate on digital transmission signals, which are far less susceptible to interference from wind farms than old analogue signals.

Civil Aviation Rules cover objects (e.g.: turbines) and activities that affect navigable airspace, as such, Huriwaka Wind Farm will be registered with the CAA as special use airspace.

We’ll be undertaking appropriate due diligence of suppliers during the procurement process and enforcing contractual terms that will require contractors or suppliers to demonstrate they are managing supply chain risks in line with our expectations.

We will take a robust approach to securing environmental approvals and have systems and processes in place to manage environmental and ethical considerations during the delivery and operational phases of the project, including responsible procurement.

With the site being previously granted consent by the Environment Court, this provides a precedent that the site meets all the necessary criteria to be granted a new consent. The fundamental aspects of the site and proposed development have not changed significantly since the original consent being granted.

However, previous consent granted for the project does not mean we automatically get consents for Huriwaka Wind Farm under a new application.

We will be going through a rigorous consenting process to apply for new consents for Huriwaka Wind Farm to reflect up-to-date impact assessments, advances in wind turbine technology and consultation with stakeholders and the local community.

Field surveys and assessments are currently underway to inform the project viability and the resource consent application.

Considerations include environmental and ecological impact, aviation assessments, noise and acoustics, proximity to neighbours, existing flora and fauna, cultural assessment/impact reports, landscape and visual, transport, civil and earthworks.

The Huriwaka Wind Farm has been selected to be included in the Government’s proposed Fast Track Approvals Bill.

We believe the potential Fast Track pathway will help accelerate the development of much needed renewable energy projects, contributing significantly to Aotearoa New Zealand's renewable energy and decarbonisation goals.

Regardless of the consenting process, Fast Track or otherwise, we remain committed to robust and meaningful engagement on the project, alongside developing practical solutions relating to mitigating our impact on the environment.

We are committed to being a good neighbour, and consulting with the local community.

Please get in touch with us anytime at newdev@manawaenergy.co.nz or come along to meet the project team at one of our community open days.

We also have a community newsletter that we will send out with updates, please sign up for it here.

We are committed to being open and transparent about our plans. If you have any initial questions about this proposed wind farm, please come along to one of our open days. We will advertise these in local papers and via local bulletin boards and our website.

Please get in touch with the team by email directly: newdev@manawaenergy.co.nz

We're often out on site in remote locations, but will do our best to get back to you as soon as possible.

All power generated goes back to the national grid. Transmission costs may be reduced, but it’s difficult to identify electricity costs changes as a result of the Huriwaka project.

Huriwaka Wind Farm will connect to the Transpower national grid. This electricity will significantly add to addressing NZ’s electricity demand and security of electricity supply. Although not directly impacting local electricity pricing, by meeting supply demand and ensuring security of supply this will mean that NZ’s electricity pricing continues to be some of the most competitive in the world.

As above: Huriwaka Wind Farm will help meet supply demand and improve security of supply within the region.

The communities around wind farms (and other renewable power generation sites) are supporting renewable energy and security of energy supply for New Zealand.

Having a wind farm close also boosts the local economy through support for local businesses and services throughout development and operations thereafter.

Employment opportunities will be available throughout the project, and later during operations across a variety of contract and direct employment.

Wind generation in the community provides unique education opportunities for local schools (and the community) to learn about renewable wind energy and how wind farms work.

For the Huriwaka Wind Farm we will be exploring options for the establishment of a community fund. Typically, funds go towards community, education and environmental projects.

A registered land agent would be best placed to provide an opinion on this if you are interested.

We are in the early stages of community engagement about the project. To date we have met or communicated with key stakeholders including the New Zealand Defence Force, Ngāti Whitikaupeka, Ngāti Tamakōpiri, Te Roopu Tai o Mōkai Pātea (the “Environmental Working Party”) and Ngāti Rangi. This engagement will continue and as more of the project specifics are developed regarding consenting, we will engage with the local community through one-on-one meetings or public open days. Interested parties can also get in touch with us at any time at newdev@manawaenergy.co.nz.

Over time people will see activities on the site depending on the phase (consenting, construction, operation). These activities will be confined to the site itself. Depending on the phase of the project the main impact outside of the site will be traffic movements.

Traffic estimates and management plans will be compiled as part of the consenting process to ensure safety and minimise disruption to surrounding stakeholders and the community.

Over time on site, you will see construction activities moving from civil (earthworks, road building, concrete pouring) through to electrical (connection to the national grid) and then turbine installation (delivery, installation, and commissioning of wind turbines).

Road access needs will be based on construction and transportation impact assessments, and consent conditions if granted, so we will have more information in the future on this question.

We follow NZ legal standards and guidelines for all activities undertaken throughout development, these standards are designed to minimise impact on people and the environment.

For example: NZS 6808 wind farm noise standards, NZS 6803 construction noise standards.

We’ll have a better idea of potential impacts and what will be done to minimize these as we complete each of the key impact assessments and studies.