Invitation for comments
On 26 November 2025 the Waitaha Hydro expert panel released Minute 3, recording their decision on which parties are to be invited to comment.
Minute 3 of the expert panel (PDF, 392KB)
Comments closed on 14 January 2026.
The applicant will respond to the comments. Read the original comments below.
Comments received
The following parties provided comments in response to Minute 3.
- Minister for rural communities comments (PDF, 195 KB)
- Minister for infrastructure comments (PDF, 298 KB)
- Minister for Māori Development; Minister for Māori Crown Relations comments (PDF, 437 KB)
- Minister for South Island; Minister for Hunting and Fishing comments (PDF, 378 KB)
- Minister for Regional Development comments (PDF, 284 KB)
- Minister for Energy comments (PDF, 266 KB)
- Minister for Energy additional comments (PDF, 148 KB)
- Minister for the Environment comments (PDF, 268 KB)
- West Coast Regional Council comments (PDF, 156 KB)
- Westland District Council comments (PDF, 6 MB)
- Department of Conservation comments (PDF, 587 KB)
- Department of Conservation – Appendix A Commentary on Proposed Consent Conditions (PDF, 1 MB)
- Department of Conservation – Appendix B questions to Westpower on landscape design issues and Westpower's subsequent response (PDF, 1 MB)
- New Zealand Conservation Authority comments (PDF, 204 KB)
- Poutini Ngai Tahu comments (PDF, 170 KB)
- West Coast Tai Poutini Conservation Board comments (PDF, 125 KB)
- McLean comments (PDF, 35 KB)
- Tawhiri-Matea Ltd comments (PDF, 90 KB)
- Granite Developments Ltd comments (PDF, 117 KB)
- Neil Donnell comments (PDF, 39 KB)
- Bryan HBF Chinn comments (PDF, 290 KB)
Applicant response to comments
The applicant provided the following responses on 21 January 2026.
- Westpower Memorandum 7, Response to Comments and RFI 3 (PDF, 566 KB)
- Attachment 1 Proposed Conditions – Resource Consents (PDF, 4 MB)
- Attachment 2 Concession conditions lease licence (short term) (PDF, 844 KB)
- Attachment 3 Concession conditions lease licence (long term) (PDF, 574 KB)
- Attachment 4 Concession conditions easement (PDF, 314 KB)
- Attachment 5A Wildlife Approval conditions (PDF, 469 KB)
- Attachment 5B Proposed Conditions – Complex Freshwater Fishery Activities (PDF, 392 KB)
- Attachment 6 Statement Mason Jackson response to RFI 3 (PDF, 415 KB)
- Attachment 7 Statement James Bentley (PDF, 18 MB)
- Attachment 8 Updated Landscape Management Plan (PDF, 5 MB)
- Attachment 9 Statement Rodger Griffiths (PDF, 1 MB)
- Attachment 10 Statement Rob Greenaway (PDF, 3 MB)
- Attachment 11 Statement Michael Copeland (PDF, 235 KB)
- Attachment 12 Statement David Jan Derks (PDF, 233 KB)
- Attachment 13 Statement Martin Kennedy (PDF, 1 MB)
- Attachment 14 Updated Lizard Management Plan (PDF, 2 MB)
- Attachment 15 Statement Mason Jackson (PDF, 429 KB)
- Attachment 16 Statement Erik Westergaard (PDF, 208 KB)