Fears Sefton solar farm will damage protected farmland
North Canterbury residents are worried protected productive farmland could be lost to the solar farming boom.
Australian company Energy Bay Ltd has been trying to get resource consent to build an 80-hectare solar farm full of 4.6m panels on land at Upper Sefton Rd in Sefton for more than a year.
About 40 neighbours are concerned the use of productive land for it will ruin its potential and decrease their own land values.
The land is classified as “very good multiple-use land” with “slight limitations”, according to Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research’s land use capability system (LUC).
Its status as LUC class 2, the second-highest class of productive land, is given only to 4.6% of land across NZ and 6% in Canterbury.
Under the national policy statement (NPS) for highly productive land implemented in 2022 the area can be used only for farming purposes, with some exceptions like allowing infrastructure of regional or national significance. Developing renewable electricity was considered to be of “national significance” under the 2011 NPS for renewable electricity generation.
Waimakariri District Council was asked whether renewable energy policy took priority over the highly productive land policy when staff considered resource concerns, but a spokesperson said that was a question for the Ministry for the Environment.
David Fordyce, who lives nearby and has facilitated community meetings about the issue, said the solar farm would be an industrial installation on rural land designated for farming. Based on online research gathered from American websites, he and his fellow residents were worried about the panels leaching chemicals into the land, potentially starting fires, and glare shining into properties and onto the road. “We’re not opposed to solar farming, but you can’t just suddenly decide you’re going to stick it 50m from someone’s house,” Fordyce said.
Concerned residents spoke with representatives of Energy Bay Ltd, Waimakariri mayor Dan Gordon and their local community boards, but Fordyce said it felt like the district council was determined to push the consent over the line.
Canterbury councils have been calling for national advice on how to deal with the expansion of solar farm consents.
Waimakariri council staff has put Energy Bay Ltd’s resource consent application on hold, as well as consent for an 8ha solar farm in Swannanoa on LUC class 2 land, requesting further information before they could assess the applications. However, consent was granted in July to MainPower, subject to conditions, for a 7.5ha farm in Eyrewell Forrest. The land was poorer quality, with severe limitations for cropping, and all 11 affected parties gave their approval for the project.
Alan Brent, a professor of sustainable energy systems at Victoria University, said most of the Sefton community’s concerns would be alleviated with boundary hedges and access to the company’s fire risk plan that should be developed under the resource consent process. Living next to a substation had a similar electric field as living next to a solar farm, and as the area was on flat land, there should not be issues with light reflecting from the panels, he said.
The leaching of polymers covering the panels into the land was “not true” as technology had moved on from their use, he said.
A 2023 consent decision by Waikato District Council for a 275ha solar farm in Rangiriri, near Hamilton, said any effects on the environment would be “less than minor overall” and glare would be mitigated.
The proposed Sefton farm was about 1km from the Ashley substation, which could explain why the site was chosen as solar farms were typically built on transmission line corridors, Federated Farmers Mid-Canterbury president Karl Dean said.
“The country does need electricity infrastructure. We’re seeing more and more applications to council, the only concern is if it becomes a boom-bust situation. [But] if they overbuild, all it’s going to do is put pressure on the power prices to be put down.“
Although the land’s classification was good for most agriculture, there may be more profitable options, Dean said.
“If the most profitable way is solar panels, then they should have to right to do it.”
Energy Bay Ltd and its parent company Solar Bay Ltd were approached for comment.
He once triggered school lockdowns and a citywide manhunt. Now, Brandon Jarden has been sentenced to a 12-year prison term after being caught throwing bags containing hundreds of thousands of dollars of cash, drugs, guns and high-end jewellery over his back fence as police pulled up outside his house.
A large cohort of the young father’s family attended his sentencing at the Christchurch District Court yesterday.
“This is a sad day for them as it is for you”, Judge Paul Kellar told him.
After learning he was arming up for a gang conflict, cops descended on Jarden’s home in June last year. With an electronic monitoring bracelet on his ankle and police on his doorstep, he began throwing large bags of various illicit goods into his Aranui neighbour’s backyard.
The officers outside were watching and invoked warrantless search powers on both of the properties. The loot found included $420,000 worth of methamphetamine, a semi-automatic rifle, two pistols, gold watches, chains and bracelets, and $200,000 cash.
The then Neighbourhood Crips (NHC) gang member was already on bail on similar drugs and firearms possession charges from a raid of his home six months earlier.
The 25-year-old previously served seven months’ home detention after pulling a gun on his partner in Burnside, prompting at least 10 armed offenders squad members, police dog squads, firefighters and paramedics to respond. Two schools were placed in lockdown and Jarden was eventually found after a 10-hour manhunt.
He was also convicted for conspiring to deal methamphetamine. His lawyer at the time claimed Jarden had been up for 26 days straight while high on meth.
Jarden was already under police surveillance and on electronically monitored bail at the time of the most recent raid on his home.
A Huffer branded black plastic case, camouflage patterned suitcase and tan coloured Culture Kings bag were found alongside the fence, with more than a kilogram of meth inside them. A military style semi-automatic Bushmaster .223 calibre rifle lay close by, along with a loaded silver Luger CZ75 9mm calibre pistol.
Police found more ammunition and smaller amounts of meth inside Jarden’s home, as well as a radio handset similar to that used by police, more than $11,000 in cash, a high powered BB gun, a prosthetic penis with urine bag and body attachment to falsify drug tests, and 200g of another unidentified white crystal substance. Several other items were found in the neighbour’s back yard. Just over 1.2kg of meth was seized in total at an estimated retail price of $420,000.
An Official Information Act (OIA) request allowed The Press access to photographs of the large police haul.
Jarden pleaded guilty in June to charges of methamphetamine possession for supply, unlawful possession of firearms, ammunition and explosives.
Yesterday, Judge Kellar acknowledged the large family support Jarden still had.
He allowed him discounts for his guilty pleas, addiction and background factors, as well as the effect his lengthy jail term would have on his young children.W