KAIWERA DOWNS WIND FARM

Kaiwera Downs wind farm is located 12km north-west of Gore in the South Island.

Stage 1

Turbines: 10
Installed capacity: 43MW
Estimated annual generation: 146GWh
Status: Commissioned in 2013
Investment: $115m

Stage 2

Turbines: 36
Installed capacity: 155MW
Estimated annual generation: 525GWh
Status: Commissioned in 2026
Investment: $486m

Kaiwera Downs Wind Farm is helping power New Zealand with renewable energy from one of the South Island's strongest wind resources. It is the largest wind farm in the South Island.

The wind farm was developed in two stages on about 2000 hectares on the Kaiwera Downs plateau in Southland, an area known for its strong and consistent south-westerly winds.

In fact, the average wind speed is ~8.5m/s (31 km/h) at turbine hub height making this an ideal location for a wind farm.

Work on Stage 1 started in 2022 comprising 10 wind turbines with an installed capacity of 42MW. It became operational in November 2023.

Work on Stage 2 started in June 2024, comprising 35 wind turbines with an installed capacity of 43MW. Stage 2 started generating electricity in April 2026 and is now fully operational.

The entire wind farm can generate enough electricity to power the equivalent of about 96,000 residential homes (based on one average home using 7000kWh).

Throughout the construction and operation of the wind farm, farming continued with minimal disruption, demonstrating the natural synergies of “traditional farming” and “wind farming”.