Te Rere Hau

Te Rere Hau wind

New Zealand’s first-ever wind farm repowering project

Meridian and NZ Windfarms formed a 50-50 joint venture in October 2023 to repower and extend the Te Rere Hau Wind Farm. Subsequently, in July 2025, Meridian completed the acquisition of NZ Windfarms, increasing our renewable generation portfolio and enabling more efficient financing of the repowering project.

We are now undertaking various activities and working towards a Final Investment Decision for the project.

The project involves the design, construction and operation of 39 new turbines with a generation capacity of up to 170 megawatts. This will be New Zealand’s first wind farm repowering project and has the potential to generate seven times the annual renewable energy production of the existing turbines.

About the project

The Te Rere Hau Wind Farm is located near Palmerston North on the Tararua Range, which offers some of the best wind resources in New Zealand. Originally constructed in 2006 with five 500 kilowatt turbines, it currently has 91 turbines with a total installed capacity of 45.5 megawatts.

We estimate the capital cost of the repowering project to be $600-$700 million, with the project expected to be completed in 2029.

Consenting

In May 2023, NZ Windfarms obtained a two-year fast-track consent for the first phase of the project, consisting of 30 new larger turbines.

The second phase of the project involves an extension (the Aokautere Extension Project), of a further nine turbines on an adjacent piece of land. Consent for the Aokautere Extension was granted in August 2024.

NZ Windfarms also secured conditional access to a new transmission corridor through a combination of a land purchase and an easement, allowing the new wind farm to connect directly to the Transpower Bunnythorpe-to-Wilton transmission line.

Latest project updates

If you would like to receive project newsletter updates via email, please email us at repower@nzwindfarms.co.nz

Key dates

  • December 2023: Formation of joint venture
  • July 2025: Meridian acquire NZ Windfarms
  • Q3 2026: Decommissioning of existing Te Rere Hau wind turbines
  • Q3 2026: Commencement of construction
  • Mid 2029: Project completion

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