Opponents to wind farm blown off speaking list

Three quarters of the people who want a board of inquiry to listen to their arguments about the redesigned Turitea Wind Farm proposal won't get the chance to present their views aloud. Just 26 submitters out of 103 who indicated they wanted to speak have been given a slot by the board.

Mighty River Power has reduced the scale of its planned farm on the Tararua Range from a maximum of 121 wind turbines to 104.

Commissioners said they didn't want to hear arguments they had heard already at the hearing last year. They then decided which submitters they wanted to hear from and which ones they didn't.

Kahuterawa Rd resident Jan Lang said she understood the board's position, but "at the same time I feel unheard".

"I feel powerless at this point."

Mrs Lang said she would probably have written more in her written submission if she knew she wouldn't get to speak. "Five minutes is all I would need."

Samuel Peterson, who owns land near the proposed wind farm, initially thought he had been left out by mistake.

Dr Peterson said the redesign was unsatisfactory and he was worried that not putting in another submission could have been seen as an endorsement for the adjusted proposal.

Another opponent of the project, Elizabeth McGuineess, said the process was meant to be transparent.

"I wonder why it has been pared down," she said.

Antony Stewart said the whole process had felt like a David-and-Goliath fight against Mighty River Power.

However, he believed the board had been doing a good job.

The hearing resumes on Monday next week.

- © Fairfax NZ News