MERCURY NEWS

4 November 2025

Finlay Park's hydro education initiative powers up thanks to Mercury

Finlay Park Adventure Camp Programme Manager Joe Hall with Mercury Hydro Stakeholder Manager, Larnie Chrystall, holding pictures of the Horahora Power Station which will feature in a museum room dedicated to hydro history on the Waikato River.

An initiative which aims to educate and inspire young minds about renewable energy will be able to extend its reach thanks to new support from Mercury.

The Finlay Park Adventure Camp has been hosting schools, church camps, community groups and holiday programmes on the banks of the Waikato River for more than 50 years.

The park, about 50km south of Hamilton, is surrounded by some of New Zealand’s early developments in hydro electricity.

Nearby is the former Horahora Power Station which was submerged in 1947 when Lake Karāpiro was filled to power the newly opened Karāpiro Hydro Station.

And a few kilometres south is the Arapuni Hydro Station, constructed in the late 1920s and still generating electricity for the country today.

Joe and Larnie inside a room being developed to educate young people about hydro development and renewable energy. The centre piece is a model depicting the Horahora Power Station.

It is no surprise then, that the standout activity at Finlay Park is a learning programme dedicated to the Horahora Power Station and the district’s renewable energy story.

Park Director, Gus Johannes, said about 5300 students from primary and secondary schools have taken up the learning experience since it was developed about 10 years ago.

“The Horahora study details life at the power station, how it was initially built to supply electricity to the Waihi gold mines and then switched over to help power the country.

“Through our lessons, we challenge students to think about how electricity is generated and transmitted around the country.”

A museum room was set up as a resource for those teaching the programme, it features a model of the Horahora Power Station, with photos showing its development and operation.

The model shows the powerhouse, operations buildings and the village where people working at the station once lived.

The third component of the programme is a practical exercise demonstrating how hydro electricity is generated.

Water is pumped from the river, up into a barrel and then released down a hill to power a small turbine, it activates a set of lights to show the level of energy generated.

Mr Johannes said the time was right to redevelop the programme to bring it in line with the New Zealand Curriculum.

“We believe doing this will mean we’ll have the potential to inspire and reach hundreds more students each year.”

Mercury, which operates the Karāpiro and Arapuni hydro stations, has stepped in to help fund improvements to the programme.

The Horahora Power Station was constructed for the Waihi Gold Mining Company in 1914.

Mr Johannes said the extra support would mean researchers could develop and present a much more in-depth understanding of the early history of the district.

“We’ll be able to update our museum room to make it more interactive and have the ability to display more of the fantastic photos we have of Horahora station, and the people connected to it.”

The outdoor turbine activity would also be improved.

Mercury’s Head of Environment and Stakeholders, Beth Wotherspoon, said it made sense to support an initiative that was helping to educate more people about renewable energy.

“Mercury and others before us have invested heavily in ensuring our hydro stations on the Waikato River can continue to power New Zealand for many more years to come.

“We support Finlay Park’s efforts to share that story and the stories of the people and communities who have played an important role in New Zealand’s renewable energy development.”