ENERGY

Mahinerangi Wind Farm Stage 2 (Puke Kapo Hau)

Mercury NZ (NZX-listed, majority state-owned) · Otago

Stage 2 of the Mahinerangi wind farm west of Dunedin, gifted the name Puke Kapo Hau. Forty turbines adding 192MW, down from an earlier 100-turbine consent, plus a 110kV line, a substation and a battery. Fast-track approved on 3 July 2026, and Mercury's board approved the $506m build in August 2026. First generation is due mid-2028.

Mixed signals Data: High

Delivery Confidence Score, 0 to 100, higher is better: a ranking of how strong this project's delivery signals are, not a probability. It blends eight factors, including the election risk and policy alignment shown below.

Breakdown▾

Data current as at 16 Sept 2026, when the pipeline was last checked against its source.

Key facts

Region: Otago
Sector: Energy
Status: Planning
Estimated value: $506m
Indicative completion: 2028
Funding status: No Source
Lead organisation: Mercury NZ (NZX-listed, majority state-owned)
Election risk: Safe

Election risk assessment

Commercial renewable investment, broadly bipartisan. Fast-track approval granted July 2026; construction is not yet board-approved, so timing is uncertain.

Government priority alignment

HIGH: New wind generation supporting the renewable-electricity transition.

Recent changes

2026-W37Major New project added: Mahinerangi Wind Farm Stage 2 (Puke Kapo Hau) (Planning, $506m).

Chronology

2011Stage 1 commissioned at 36MW
2026Fast-track approval granted on 3 July, Mercury's first project consented through that process. The Mercury board approves the $506m build in August and construction starts before year end
2028expectedFirst generation expected mid-year, with full generation late in the year

Source

Mercury ↗ · Fast-track Approvals: Mahinerangi Wind Farm ↗ · Beehive: Sixth renewable energy project fast-tracked (3 Jul 2026) ↗ · Mercury: generation new builds and upgrades ↗

View Mahinerangi Wind Farm Stage 2 (Puke Kapo Hau) on the live map →