Data centers in New Zealand: 2 projects mapped

New Zealand's biggest data center plan is Datagrid's NZ$3.5 billion "AI factory" at Makarewa, about 10 minutes north of Invercargill. Southland District Council, Environment Southland and Invercargill City Council granted it full resource consent in March 2026, without public notification. At 280 megawatts of power it would be the country's second-biggest electricity user after the Tiwai Point aluminum smelter, using about 6% of national demand. Grid operator Transpower was still studying the connection in July, so the hoped-for July 2026 construction start looked unlikely.

Because the consent was not publicly notified, neighbors had no formal chance to object, and the right to appeal is narrow. The consents allow Datagrid to take more than 600,000 liters of groundwater a day, though the company says it will use none. Southland Mayor Rob Scott has called the project a good opportunity for the region. The first phase promises about 75 permanent jobs, and Datagrid's stated goal is to grow to 1 gigawatt, which a government briefing described as almost double Tiwai's use.

Data centers are now an election issue. In July the Greens called for a one-year pause on consents for new AI data centers; Prime Minister Christopher Luxon called that "alarmist" and asked Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis to draw up rules requiring large sites to bring new power generation. Labour says data centers should secure their own renewable power and pay their own connection costs. New Zealand votes on November 7, 2026.

Every project above is drawn from public records, filings and local reporting. Each row links to what it is based on. Statuses change, so check the source date before you rely on one. Found something wrong? Write to [email protected] and it gets fixed.