‘A lot of red flags’: plans for New Zealand’s first datacentre spark concern as locals demand greater transparency

The Guardian World Friday 10 July 2026, 00:40 UTC By Eva Corlett in Wellington 1 min read

Key Points

Plans to build a NZ$3.5bn datacentre in Makarewa in the country’s south has drawn concern about electricity and water use, and potential noise pollutionPeople living near the site of New Zealand’s first planned AI datacentre are calling for more transparency about the project, especially about how the centre’s huge electricity and water use and potential noise pollution could affect them. Singapore-based company Datagrid has secured approval to build a NZ$3.5bn (US$2bn) AI datacentre on a...

Plans to build a NZ$3.5bn datacentre in Makarewa in the country’s south has drawn concern about electricity and water use, and potential noise pollution

People living near the site of New Zealand’s first planned AI datacentre are calling for more transparency about the project, especially about how the centre’s huge electricity and water use and potential noise pollution could affect them.

Singapore-based company Datagrid has secured approval to build a NZ$3.5bn (US$2bn) AI datacentre on a 49-hectare site in Makarewa, just north of New Zealand’s southern-most city, Invercargill. Construction is due to begin this year, with the centre becoming operational by 2028.

New Zealand’s (LOCATION) Makarewa (LOCATION) AI (ORG) Singapore (LOCATION) Datagrid (PERSON) Invercargill (LOCATION)

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‘A lot of red flags’: plans for New Zealand’s first datacentre spark concern as locals demand greater transparency

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