November 2025
Summary
Offshore wind farming is a new industry for Aotearoa New Zealand. There is a high diversity and abundance of marine life in the waters here, so it is important to consider conservation values during the siting, construction and operation of wind farms.
Three locations of interest have been identified for offshore wind farm development: the North and South Taranaki Bights, the Waikato region, and Southland’s Te Ara-a-Kiwa/Foveaux Strait and waters near Stewart Island/Rakiura.
This report provides an overview of threatened and at-risk bird, marine fish, reptile and marine mammal species, and ecologically important benthic biodiversity in these locations. It also recommends further work to support environmental assessments around wind farm developments.
Authors
Bruce McKinlay, Anton van Helden, Graeme Taylor, Kirsten Rodgers, Johannes Fischer, Clinton Duffy, Karen Middlemiss, Mike Ogle, Enrique Pardo and Andrew Baxter.