As Meridian Energy begins construction on its $227 million solar farm in Ruakākā, a local Māori leader is highlighting unresolved cultural and environmental concerns.

Dr Mere Kepa, chair of the Takahiwai Māori Committee and representative of local hapū Te Parawhau, says that for local Māori the project continues a legacy of land loss and cultural displacement.

“When workers arrive to mark out the land, scrape through indigenous waters, and hammer measuring ropes into the soil, a sense of impending forfeiture is felt again,” she said.

Meridian, however, says it consulted extensively with Māori stakeholders on the project - its first solar scheme in New Zealand and one of the country’s largest.

Increased environmental commitments - including plans to restore wetlands, enhance sand dunes, and plant 22ha of native vegetation, as well as a mara rongoā healing garden - were outcomes of the engagement.

Kepa argued that while Meridian’s environmental initiatives may appear restorative, they do not address the deeper issue: the solar farm near Marsden Point is being built on ancestral land without full recognition of Te Parawhau’s historical and cultural ties.

“There will be beauty in the green space of the mara rongoā, yes - but it will be surrounded by black and white streets laid over ancestral land,” she said. “This is not restoration. It’s replacement.”

Kepa said the starting point for any meaningful dialogue between the hapū and Meridian should be the 404ha of Te Poupouwhenua confiscated by the Crown in the 19th century — land she said remains unreturned to its rightful guardians.

Kepa criticised the cultural effects assessment which concluded the impacts were “minor,” provided recommendations from consultation documents were followed.

She argued such assessments understate the depth of cultural impact and the lived experience of dispossession. Technical reports or archaeological assessments did not erase Takahiwai Māori Committee’s opposition to the consent application.

Kepa said the solar farm may contribute to decarbonisation and job creation but also highlighted the ongoing struggle of hapū who remain “landless, houseless, and excluded from decision-making”.

She pointed to the Waitaki Hydro Power Scheme in the South Island, where Meridian and Genesis Energy reportedly paid $180 million to Ngāi Tahu hapū, and other stakeholders as part of a reconsenting process. She questioned why similar recognition had not been extended to Te Parawhau.

Dr Mere Kepa. Photo / supplied

Meridian said for confidentiality reasons, it couldn’t disclose the amount involved in the South Island project, but that financial agreements were common in large infrastructure projects.

Meridian’s general manager of development, Guy Waipara, said the solar farm was an important project and huge opportunity for more energy sovereignty in Northland.

“It will help improve the region’s energy resilience, which has been exposed over recent years, and is already creating jobs and generating revenue for local businesses.”

About 250 jobs are expected to be created as a result.

“It’ll also help strengthen the national energy system and is part of a wave of new generation that will see power prices come down over time,” Waipara said.

“Meridian is going to be in Te Tai Tokerau for a long time and it’s important to us that we’re good neighbours who build lasting and trusted relationships.”

Waipara said Meridian had engaged with Patuharakeke Te Iwi Trust Board and Te Parawhau ki Tai representatives for some time regarding the solar farm, starting in the project planning and design phase.

“We’ve also established a governance group with both Patuharakeke Te Iwi Trust and Te Parawhau ki Tai so we can work together on resource management issues and areas of mutual interest.”

Sarah Curtis is a news reporter for the Northern Advocate, focusing on a wide range of issues. She has nearly 20 years’ experience in journalism, most of which she spent court reporting in Gisborne and on the East Coast.