The Proposal
In March 2024, Australian-owned company Far North Solar Ltd applied to ECAN and Hurunui District Council (HDC) for consent to build a 180-hectare industrial solar plant on 380 Waipara Flat Road, Waipara. The site is zoned as 'rural', and is currently a working farm.

The proposed plant would run for about 4km on SH7 on the road between Christchurch and Hanmer Springs (the Alpine Pacific Touring Route).  It would cover 180 hectares with around 300,000 solar panels, 72,896 piles, and 30 inverters. The panels would be 4.5m high, and the site would be surrounded by a 2m-high fence topped with 3 strands of barbed wire.

Should HDC and ECAN have to consult?
Under the Resource Management Act, Hurunui District Council and ECAN must publicly notify the application if they conclude the plant would be likely to have adverse effects on the environment that are "more than minor". The effects they must consider include the effects on people and the community, on ecosystems, on natural resources, on amenity values, economic conditions, aesthetics, and social impacts.

In addition, ECAN and HDC must publicly notify if they think there are any "special circumstances" which mean notification is appropriate. These might include the scale of the proposal, the change it would bring to the character of the area, and the fact that it is the first industrial solar plant to be proposed in the Waipara Valley.

We consider that the scale of the proposal, and the impact it would have, are such that it needs to be publicly notified under both these tests.

Why to sign NOW
There will only be public consultation on the proposal if ECAN and /or HDC decide to publicly notify the application. The public will only be asked to make submissions IF the application is publicly notified - so it is important to say now if you think they should consult.