Fast-Tracked Waitaha Hydro Project to Boost West Coast Renewable Energy

A fast-tracked renewable energy project on the West Coast will strengthen regional electricity supply and improve resilience, Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop and Regional Development Minister Shane Jones say.

In August 2025, Westpower Limited lodged a substantive application to build and operate a 23MW hydro scheme in the Waitaha Valley, about 38km south of Hokitika. The project includes a weir and a 1.5km tunnel to a two-turbine powerhouse.

The Waitaha Hydro project has taken around 20 years to progress. Westpower Limited sought Department of Conservation concessions in 2014. Following a publicly notified process and a hearing in 2016, the Minister for the Environment declined the application in 2019, says Mr Bishop.

In 2022, Westpower applied to DOC seeking that the 2019 decision be reconsidered. That reconsideration process was suspended when the project obtained a listing in the FTAA and was subsequently withdrawn by Westpower.

Fast-track meant this project received all the necessary approvals in around five months from the appointment of an expert panel.

Poutini Ngāi Tahu is a key partner in the project, working alongside Westpower to support local economic development and ensure the hydro scheme benefits the West Coast community.

Westpower estimates the scheme will generate enough renewable electricity to power around 12,000 homes each year and prevent up to 129,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions annually. This is about the same as taking roughly 69,000 cars off the road annually, Mr Jones says.

The West Coast faces some of the highest electricity costs in New Zealand, largely due to its distance from major generation sources and dependence on a 550km-long transmission line. Increasing local generation is expected to help ease these pressures over time.

The scheme could also contribute to New Zealand’s wider energy system by helping to manage dry-year risks affecting hydro generation elsewhere in the country.

Construction is expected to deliver significant economic benefits to the region, with total investment estimated between $160m and $200m. Around 71 full-time equivalent jobs will be created over the three-year construction period, Mr Bishop says.

Local MP Maureen Pugh has been a strong advocate for this project, and I know she will be very pleased about progress being made.

Notes to editors For more information about the project:  Waitaha Hydro Fast-track by the numbers: 18 projects approved by expert panels.

19 projects with expert panels appointed.

45 projects currently progressing through the Fast-track process.

43 projects have been referred to Fast-track by the Minister for Infrastructure.

149 projects are listed in Schedule 2 of the Fast-track Approvals Act, meaning they can apply for Fast-track approval.

On average, it has taken 126 working days for decisions on substantive applications from when officials determine an application is complete and in-scope.

Fast-track projects approved by expert panels: Arataki [Housing/Land] Ayrburn Screen Hub [Infrastructure] Green Steel [Infrastructure] Homestead Bay [Housing/Land] Bledisloe North Wharf and Fergusson North Berth Extension [Infrastructure] Drury Metropolitan Centre – Consolidated Stages 1 and 2 [Housing/Land] Drury Quarry Expansion – Sutton Block [Mining/Quarrying] Kings Quarry Expansion – Stages 2 and 3 [Mining/Quarrying] Maitahi Village [Housing/Land] Milldale – Stages 4C and 10 to 13 [Housing/Land] Rangitoopuni [Housing/Land] Southland Wind Farm Project [Infrastructure] Sunfield [Housing/Land] Tekapo Power Scheme – Applications for Replacement Resource Consents [Renewable energy] Takitimu North Link – Stage 2 [Infrastructure] Waihi North [Mining/Quarrying] Waitaha Hydro [Renewable energy] Waitākere District Court – New Courthouse Project [Infrastructure] Expert panels have been appointed for: Ashbourne Bendigo-Ophir Gold Project Bream Bay Sand Extraction Project Central and Southern Block Mining Project Delmore Downtown Carpark Site Development Haldon Solar Farm Hananui Aquaculture Project Kaimai Hydro-Electric Power Scheme Lake Pūkaki Hydro Storage and Dam Resilience Works Mahinerangi Wind Farm North West Rapid Transit Pound Road Industrial Development Ryans Road Industrial Development State Highway 1 North Canterbury - Woodend Bypass Project (Belfast to Pegasus) Stella Passage Development The Point Mission Bay The Point Solar Farm Wellington International Airport Southern Seawall Renewal