STOP HYPERSCALE DATA CENTRES IN NEW ZEALAND
The issue
To the House of Representatives
(This petition may also be presented to local councils and Members of Parliament for their support and advocacy)
We, the undersigned, respectfully request that the House urge the Government to introduce comprehensive legislation to stop or severely restrict the approval and construction of new hyperscale data centres in New Zealand until robust, enforceable public-interest safeguards are in place.
Introduction and Context:
Proposals for large hyperscale and artificial intelligence data centre campuses are advancing in the Dairy Flat area of northern Auckland. These developments form part of broader masterplan concepts that also include recreational facilities such as surf parks and pools. The Dairy Flat area contains significant wetlands and swamplands. There are serious concerns within the community about whether proper environmental surveying has been undertaken on this sensitive land, whether
parts of the land are (or should be) protected, and whether the land is suitable and safe for this scale of industrial development.
Questions also remain about the source of consents and the adequacy of consultation with directly affected neighbours and the wider community, given that these projects have impacts well beyond the immediate site.
Invest New Zealand (part of New Zealand Trade and Enterprise) is actively encouraging and facilitating hyperscale data centre investment in New Zealand. The agency promotes the country's cool climate, renewable electricity, and stability as advantages for global technology companies seeking to locate large-scale AI and cloud infrastructure in the Asia-Pacific region.
Another major project that has already advanced is the Datagrid hyperscale "AI factory" campus proposed for Makarewa, near Invercargill in Southland. This 280 MW facility has received resource consent and represents one of the largest data centre developments proposed in New Zealand to date.
While these investments are presented as economic opportunities, serious and unresolved concerns remain about their impacts on water resources, electricity infrastructure and pricing, emergency services capability, environmental and community impacts, public transparency, consultation processes, and the governance of public data.
These issues have not been adequately addressed at a systemic or national level.
This petition calls for a consistent, precautionary approach to hyperscale data centre development across New Zealand.
Key Concerns:
1. Water Resources, Transparency and Accountability
Hyperscale data centres using evaporative cooling consume very large volumes of water, with a significant portion lost through evaporation. Cooling systems also require chemical treatments, and discharged "blowdown" water can contain concentrated salts, biocides, corrosion inhibitors, and other contaminants.
We strongly oppose the transfer of water allocations and consents from public and council control to private corporate operators. Once water rights move into the corporate sector, actual usage, treatment methods, reuse rates, and discharge quality often become commercially sensitive and far more difficult for the public, communities, and regulators to scrutinise and verify independently.
New Zealanders must retain the ability to track how much water these facilities actually use and what is returned to our waterways. Without transparent public oversight, there can be no confidence that water resources are being managed responsibly or that consented volumes match real-world usage.
2. Fire and Emergency Response Costs and Capability
Fire and Emergency New Zealand has confirmed, in an Official Information Act response dated 23 June 2026, that it does not have training specific to fires in data centres. Firefighters receive general training on lithium-ion batteries and alternative energy sources, but no specialist procedures or equipment for the unique risks posed by hyperscale facilities (high-density electrical systems and large-scale battery storage).
These corporations' profit from developments that introduce concentrated new risks. They should be required to directly fund specialist training, equipment, and response capability for Fire and Emergency New Zealand — developed in consultation with FENZ — rather than these costs being absorbed by the general public through the existing insurance-levy funding model.
3. Electricity Demand, Grid Strain, Pricing and Cost Allocation
Data centres are a major and rapidly growing driver of electricity demand. Internationally, they have significantly increased pressure on grids and contributed to rising electricity costs and infrastructure needs in several regions. In New Zealand, while current data centre load remains relatively small, forecasts indicate meaningful growth that will require substantial new generation and grid upgrades.
Powering these facilities with renewable energy also requires significant additional land. Solar and wind generation have much larger land footprints than other forms of generation. This creates direct competition with productive farmland and raises concerns about the loss of agricultural land in an economy already facing challenges. We call for protection of high-value farmland and a clear prohibition on data centre-related development or associated infrastructure (such as large transmission corridors) on public conservation land.
Power Factor and Consumer Protection: The significant increase in electricity demand from hyperscale data centres creates a clear risk that costs will be unfairly passed on to domestic households and small businesses through higher tariffs, network charges, or surcharges. We call for a formal review by the Commerce Commission to ensure power companies cannot add extra pricing or surcharges due to data centre developments, and that data centre operators are required to cover all incremental costs through their own commercial premiums and dedicated power purchase arrangements. Domestic and corporate/hyperscale data centre electricity usage must be kept strictly separate, with dedicated metering, distinct tariff structures, and transparent accounting to prevent any cross-subsidisation of costs onto ordinary New Zealand consumers.
4. Environmental and Community Impacts
Hyperscale data centres generate persistent low-frequency noise and vibration from cooling systems and backup generators, which has caused significant disturbance to nearby residents in multiple overseas jurisdictions. These facilities also involve substantial electrical infrastructure that produces electromagnetic fields (EMF). Independent pre- and post-construction monitoring and public reporting of EMF levels should be mandatory, particularly near residential areas.
Large-scale construction and operation cause land disturbance, increased stormwater runoff from impervious surfaces, and potential effects on local waterways from water discharge. These impacts extend well beyond the immediate site and affect surrounding communities and the environment.
5. Consent Processes and Community Consultation
We are concerned that some hyperscale data centre proposals are being advanced under processes (including the Fast-Track Approvals Act 2024) that limit full public notification, meaningful consultation with directly affected neighbours, and broader community input.
These projects have wide-ranging and long-term effects on water, energy, emergency services, and local environments. Proper, transparent Resource Management Act processes with genuine community participation must be protected and strengthened, not circumvented.
6. Privacy, Public Data Use and Independent Oversight
Hyperscale data centres and their supporting infrastructure may involve the collection, processing, storage or use of public data, open government datasets, aggregated citizen information, or other data with privacy implications. There is a pressing need for robust, independent oversight by the Privacy Commission to establish clear standards for data minimisation, purpose limitation, consent where required, transparency, and public accountability.
Comprehensive surveys and genuine, broad public consultation processes must be mandated around any proposed use of public data in these developments. Decisions with significant privacy or data governance implications should not proceed without meaningful community input and independent scrutiny.
Requests to the Government
We call on the Government to:
1. Introduce legislation requiring that hyperscale data centre operators directly fund specialist training, equipment, and response capability for Fire and Emergency New Zealand, developed in consultation with FENZ and the Firefighters Union.
2. Ensure that water allocations for large industrial users, including data centres, remain under transparent public oversight, with mandatory public reporting of actual usage, treatment, reuse, and discharge quality.
3. Protect productive farmland and public conservation land from data centre development and associated infrastructure.
4. Require independent environmental monitoring (including noise, water quality, and EMF) and full public reporting for any approved hyperscale data centres, especially near residential areas.
5. Strengthen consent and consultation processes so that communities and directly affected people have meaningful input into proposals with significant local and regional impacts.
6. Pause or severely restrict further approvals for new hyperscale data centres until all the safeguards set out in requests 1–8 below are legislated and in place.
7. Direct the Commerce Commission to undertake a formal review and implement regulatory measures ensuring that electricity providers cannot pass data centre-related costs, infrastructure charges or price increases onto domestic households and small commercial consumers; that data centre operators fully cover all incremental costs through their own commercial premiums and dedicated arrangements; and that domestic and hyperscale/corporate electricity usage remain strictly separate through dedicated metering, distinct tariffs and transparent accounting.
8. Engage the Privacy Commission to set binding standards and provide independent oversight for any collection, use, processing or storage of public data by data centre operators or associated entities, and require mandatory independent surveys together with genuine, broad public consultation specifically addressing public data implications and privacy safeguards prior to any approvals.
Overseas Evidence and Precedents:
The following international examples illustrate the real-world consequences that have emerged where hyperscale data centre development has proceeded rapidly without strong upfront safeguards. These demonstrate what New Zealand can expect if similar patterns are permitted here.
Electricity Grid and Power Costs:
• In Virginia (USA), data centres already consume approximately 25% of the state's electricity, with projections showing this share rising significantly by 2030. Grid operators have had to make major upward revisions to demand forecasts.
• Across the United States, data centres could consume 9–17% of total electricity generation by 2030 (EPRI, February2026).
• Multiple grid regions have reported the need for substantial new infrastructure investment directly linked to data centre growth.
Noise and Community Disturbance – Lawsuits:
• In Dowagiac, Michigan, residents filed a class-action lawsuit against a hyperscale data centre alleging "unreasonable and excessive noise" from cooling fans, causing nuisance and property damage (WWMT News, May 2026).
• Communities in Virginia, Arizona, and other U.S. states have reported ongoing low-frequency humming and vibration from data centre cooling systems, leading to formal complaints, legal challenges, and some local governments tightening zoning rules.
Land Use Conflicts – Farmland:
• In Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana, and Virginia (USA), proposals to rezone productive farmland for data centre campuses have faced strong community opposition due to permanent loss of agricultural land. Some proposals were withdrawn following public pushback.
• Studies show that powering large-scale data centre demand with renewables (particularly wind) requires substantially more land than other generation sources, increasing pressure on farmland.
Insurance Costs:
• Swiss Re (March 2026) projects that global insurance premiums tied specifically to data centres will nearly double — from approximately US$10.6 billion to US$24.2 billion by 2030. Key drivers include asset concentration, fire risk (particularly from battery systems), and business interruption exposure.
Water Use and Discharge:
Large data centres using evaporative cooling consume very large volumes of water, with much of it lost to evaporation. Discharged cooling water can contain elevated levels of salts and treatment chemicals. Once water management moves under private corporate control, public access to detailed usage and discharge data often becomes more limited.
These examples demonstrate clear patterns of increased pressure on public infrastructure and resources, community conflict, legal action, and long-term land-use changes when hyperscale data centre development proceeds without strong upfront safeguards.
We urge the Government to act now to protect New Zealand's water, emergency services, farmland, environment, communities, electricity affordability, and public data governance before these issues become entrenched.
STOP DATA CENTRES NZ
1,851
The issue
To the House of Representatives
(This petition may also be presented to local councils and Members of Parliament for their support and advocacy)
We, the undersigned, respectfully request that the House urge the Government to introduce comprehensive legislation to stop or severely restrict the approval and construction of new hyperscale data centres in New Zealand until robust, enforceable public-interest safeguards are in place.
Introduction and Context:
Proposals for large hyperscale and artificial intelligence data centre campuses are advancing in the Dairy Flat area of northern Auckland. These developments form part of broader masterplan concepts that also include recreational facilities such as surf parks and pools. The Dairy Flat area contains significant wetlands and swamplands. There are serious concerns within the community about whether proper environmental surveying has been undertaken on this sensitive land, whether
parts of the land are (or should be) protected, and whether the land is suitable and safe for this scale of industrial development.
Questions also remain about the source of consents and the adequacy of consultation with directly affected neighbours and the wider community, given that these projects have impacts well beyond the immediate site.
Invest New Zealand (part of New Zealand Trade and Enterprise) is actively encouraging and facilitating hyperscale data centre investment in New Zealand. The agency promotes the country's cool climate, renewable electricity, and stability as advantages for global technology companies seeking to locate large-scale AI and cloud infrastructure in the Asia-Pacific region.
Another major project that has already advanced is the Datagrid hyperscale "AI factory" campus proposed for Makarewa, near Invercargill in Southland. This 280 MW facility has received resource consent and represents one of the largest data centre developments proposed in New Zealand to date.
While these investments are presented as economic opportunities, serious and unresolved concerns remain about their impacts on water resources, electricity infrastructure and pricing, emergency services capability, environmental and community impacts, public transparency, consultation processes, and the governance of public data.
These issues have not been adequately addressed at a systemic or national level.
This petition calls for a consistent, precautionary approach to hyperscale data centre development across New Zealand.
Key Concerns:
1. Water Resources, Transparency and Accountability
Hyperscale data centres using evaporative cooling consume very large volumes of water, with a significant portion lost through evaporation. Cooling systems also require chemical treatments, and discharged "blowdown" water can contain concentrated salts, biocides, corrosion inhibitors, and other contaminants.
We strongly oppose the transfer of water allocations and consents from public and council control to private corporate operators. Once water rights move into the corporate sector, actual usage, treatment methods, reuse rates, and discharge quality often become commercially sensitive and far more difficult for the public, communities, and regulators to scrutinise and verify independently.
New Zealanders must retain the ability to track how much water these facilities actually use and what is returned to our waterways. Without transparent public oversight, there can be no confidence that water resources are being managed responsibly or that consented volumes match real-world usage.
2. Fire and Emergency Response Costs and Capability
Fire and Emergency New Zealand has confirmed, in an Official Information Act response dated 23 June 2026, that it does not have training specific to fires in data centres. Firefighters receive general training on lithium-ion batteries and alternative energy sources, but no specialist procedures or equipment for the unique risks posed by hyperscale facilities (high-density electrical systems and large-scale battery storage).
These corporations' profit from developments that introduce concentrated new risks. They should be required to directly fund specialist training, equipment, and response capability for Fire and Emergency New Zealand — developed in consultation with FENZ — rather than these costs being absorbed by the general public through the existing insurance-levy funding model.
3. Electricity Demand, Grid Strain, Pricing and Cost Allocation
Data centres are a major and rapidly growing driver of electricity demand. Internationally, they have significantly increased pressure on grids and contributed to rising electricity costs and infrastructure needs in several regions. In New Zealand, while current data centre load remains relatively small, forecasts indicate meaningful growth that will require substantial new generation and grid upgrades.
Powering these facilities with renewable energy also requires significant additional land. Solar and wind generation have much larger land footprints than other forms of generation. This creates direct competition with productive farmland and raises concerns about the loss of agricultural land in an economy already facing challenges. We call for protection of high-value farmland and a clear prohibition on data centre-related development or associated infrastructure (such as large transmission corridors) on public conservation land.
Power Factor and Consumer Protection: The significant increase in electricity demand from hyperscale data centres creates a clear risk that costs will be unfairly passed on to domestic households and small businesses through higher tariffs, network charges, or surcharges. We call for a formal review by the Commerce Commission to ensure power companies cannot add extra pricing or surcharges due to data centre developments, and that data centre operators are required to cover all incremental costs through their own commercial premiums and dedicated power purchase arrangements. Domestic and corporate/hyperscale data centre electricity usage must be kept strictly separate, with dedicated metering, distinct tariff structures, and transparent accounting to prevent any cross-subsidisation of costs onto ordinary New Zealand consumers.
4. Environmental and Community Impacts
Hyperscale data centres generate persistent low-frequency noise and vibration from cooling systems and backup generators, which has caused significant disturbance to nearby residents in multiple overseas jurisdictions. These facilities also involve substantial electrical infrastructure that produces electromagnetic fields (EMF). Independent pre- and post-construction monitoring and public reporting of EMF levels should be mandatory, particularly near residential areas.
Large-scale construction and operation cause land disturbance, increased stormwater runoff from impervious surfaces, and potential effects on local waterways from water discharge. These impacts extend well beyond the immediate site and affect surrounding communities and the environment.
5. Consent Processes and Community Consultation
We are concerned that some hyperscale data centre proposals are being advanced under processes (including the Fast-Track Approvals Act 2024) that limit full public notification, meaningful consultation with directly affected neighbours, and broader community input.
These projects have wide-ranging and long-term effects on water, energy, emergency services, and local environments. Proper, transparent Resource Management Act processes with genuine community participation must be protected and strengthened, not circumvented.
6. Privacy, Public Data Use and Independent Oversight
Hyperscale data centres and their supporting infrastructure may involve the collection, processing, storage or use of public data, open government datasets, aggregated citizen information, or other data with privacy implications. There is a pressing need for robust, independent oversight by the Privacy Commission to establish clear standards for data minimisation, purpose limitation, consent where required, transparency, and public accountability.
Comprehensive surveys and genuine, broad public consultation processes must be mandated around any proposed use of public data in these developments. Decisions with significant privacy or data governance implications should not proceed without meaningful community input and independent scrutiny.
Requests to the Government
We call on the Government to:
1. Introduce legislation requiring that hyperscale data centre operators directly fund specialist training, equipment, and response capability for Fire and Emergency New Zealand, developed in consultation with FENZ and the Firefighters Union.
2. Ensure that water allocations for large industrial users, including data centres, remain under transparent public oversight, with mandatory public reporting of actual usage, treatment, reuse, and discharge quality.
3. Protect productive farmland and public conservation land from data centre development and associated infrastructure.
4. Require independent environmental monitoring (including noise, water quality, and EMF) and full public reporting for any approved hyperscale data centres, especially near residential areas.
5. Strengthen consent and consultation processes so that communities and directly affected people have meaningful input into proposals with significant local and regional impacts.
6. Pause or severely restrict further approvals for new hyperscale data centres until all the safeguards set out in requests 1–8 below are legislated and in place.
7. Direct the Commerce Commission to undertake a formal review and implement regulatory measures ensuring that electricity providers cannot pass data centre-related costs, infrastructure charges or price increases onto domestic households and small commercial consumers; that data centre operators fully cover all incremental costs through their own commercial premiums and dedicated arrangements; and that domestic and hyperscale/corporate electricity usage remain strictly separate through dedicated metering, distinct tariffs and transparent accounting.
8. Engage the Privacy Commission to set binding standards and provide independent oversight for any collection, use, processing or storage of public data by data centre operators or associated entities, and require mandatory independent surveys together with genuine, broad public consultation specifically addressing public data implications and privacy safeguards prior to any approvals.
Overseas Evidence and Precedents:
The following international examples illustrate the real-world consequences that have emerged where hyperscale data centre development has proceeded rapidly without strong upfront safeguards. These demonstrate what New Zealand can expect if similar patterns are permitted here.
Electricity Grid and Power Costs:
• In Virginia (USA), data centres already consume approximately 25% of the state's electricity, with projections showing this share rising significantly by 2030. Grid operators have had to make major upward revisions to demand forecasts.
• Across the United States, data centres could consume 9–17% of total electricity generation by 2030 (EPRI, February2026).
• Multiple grid regions have reported the need for substantial new infrastructure investment directly linked to data centre growth.
Noise and Community Disturbance – Lawsuits:
• In Dowagiac, Michigan, residents filed a class-action lawsuit against a hyperscale data centre alleging "unreasonable and excessive noise" from cooling fans, causing nuisance and property damage (WWMT News, May 2026).
• Communities in Virginia, Arizona, and other U.S. states have reported ongoing low-frequency humming and vibration from data centre cooling systems, leading to formal complaints, legal challenges, and some local governments tightening zoning rules.
Land Use Conflicts – Farmland:
• In Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana, and Virginia (USA), proposals to rezone productive farmland for data centre campuses have faced strong community opposition due to permanent loss of agricultural land. Some proposals were withdrawn following public pushback.
• Studies show that powering large-scale data centre demand with renewables (particularly wind) requires substantially more land than other generation sources, increasing pressure on farmland.
Insurance Costs:
• Swiss Re (March 2026) projects that global insurance premiums tied specifically to data centres will nearly double — from approximately US$10.6 billion to US$24.2 billion by 2030. Key drivers include asset concentration, fire risk (particularly from battery systems), and business interruption exposure.
Water Use and Discharge:
Large data centres using evaporative cooling consume very large volumes of water, with much of it lost to evaporation. Discharged cooling water can contain elevated levels of salts and treatment chemicals. Once water management moves under private corporate control, public access to detailed usage and discharge data often becomes more limited.
These examples demonstrate clear patterns of increased pressure on public infrastructure and resources, community conflict, legal action, and long-term land-use changes when hyperscale data centre development proceeds without strong upfront safeguards.
We urge the Government to act now to protect New Zealand's water, emergency services, farmland, environment, communities, electricity affordability, and public data governance before these issues become entrenched.
STOP DATA CENTRES NZ
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Petition created on 27 June 2026