Community power: the enduring legacy of New Zealand’s first wind farm

Built in 2003 and capable of producing up to 91megawatts of electricity, New Zealand’s first wind farm, Te Āpiti, can deliver enough power for around 30,000 Kiwi homes.

But just as importantly for the folks of Ashhurst and Woodville – the Manawatū towns closest to the 55-turbine farm – Te Āpiti is entering its third decade delivering a steady stream of support for community projects. 

“Our relationship goes right back to the 2000s when they first started giving out funding,” says Te Ahu a Turanga Community Marae secretary Helen Raroa.

“Meridian has been really good to our marae over many years.”

Recent projects supported by Meridian’s Te Āpiti Power Up Community Fund include the installation of a water tank, purchasing communal ovens and supplying new crockery. However, the most far-reaching impact has been a contribution to help build the marae vegetable garden.

“The garden is the big one,” says Helen. “The produce is used for hui and tangi and if we have got a surplus we take it down to the Woodville Pantry food bank.”

Produce from the garden is “for everyone” including local pensioners who receive welcome deliveries to their doors.

“Our marae is not an iwi marae, it’s a community marae,” says Helen. “It has been built by the people of Woodville for the people of Woodville. It’s not as well-off as some other marae, so we apply for lots of grants to keep it going.” 

Huddled to the east of the Ruahine Ranges, and soon to be connected with neighbouring Ashhurst by the impressive 11.5km Te Ahu a Turanga Manawatū Tararua Highway, there are just under 2000 people living in Woodville. It’s a traditional kiwi country town servicing the surrounding district, and with a good number of young families.

Woodville School’s roll has been ticking up in recent years and sits just below 500 pupils. But until recently the school’s playground was – to put it kindly – a touch dated.

“Our playground was like a deathtrap,” says Principal Wes Va’ai-Wells.

“It was at least 50 years old. It really needed an overhaul. We were fortunate enough to inherit a second-hand playground from Linton Country School.”

While the playground was a freebie following Linton’s closure, it still needed to be installed - which was made possible thanks to a grant from the Te Āpiti fund.

“We ended up getting a safer playground, and the funding was a great help with that,” says Wes. “Being a staple of any school, the playground gets well used. We’ve got lots of happy kids and it’s safer for the community.”

And another Power Up grant has helped make it possible for students to attend sporting and community events they may otherwise not have been able to.

“Most recently we received $9,500 that went towards our first-ever school van. That was massively overdue, so we are very, very stoked,” says Wes.

“It’s a cliché but it really did break down quite a few barriers around kids having access to sport. Most sports and events are a 20-minute drive to Pahiatua, so we had kids who wouldn’t sign up because they knew their parents couldn’t get them there.

“A lot of teachers were having to do that drive and take kids themselves, so the van has helped massively with those issues. That’s the most significant impact we’ve seen.”