Wind farm near Bluff possibility

Site significant to Maori

Meridian Energy is investigating building a wind farm on a site of historic importance to Maori, near Bluff.

Invercargill City Council resource management officer Judith Christie said the council had recently granted Meridian resource consent to erect a wind monitoring mast on Flat Hill, about 5km northwest of Bluff.

Meridian spokeswoman Claire Shaw confirmed it was looking at the Greenpoint site for a wind farm but its investigations were still in the early stages. The company needed more data before making any decisions, she said.

"No-one's saying it's going to be a wind farm at this point."

The soon-to-be erected wind monitoring mast, which she said would be about 50m high, would measure the frequency and con-sistency of the wind for at least a year.

Michael Skerrett, the managerof Te Ao Marama, which facil-itates between runanga and applicants, said the site had historic significance to Maori.

"All that stuff will be weighed up if (Meridian) decide to look at it seriously."

He was unwilling to say what the hill's significance was to Maori because others may have a different interpretation.

It is understood the proposed wind farm site had archaeological areas in it that Maori did not want disturbed.

The site is identified on the Invercargill City District Plan maps as being in an area of outstanding natural features and landscapes.

Ms Shaw said if the site had historic significance to Maori, then Meridian would address that issue if it decided to apply for a wind farm to be built there.

Bluff Community Board chairwoman Jan Mitchell declined to give her view on a possible wind farm being built near Bluff.

It is understood if an elected member was seen to have a prejudice against any such project, he or she could be excluded from future hearings on the issue.

- © Fairfax NZ News