Battle Hill Farm Forest Park, a regional park administered by Greater Wellington Regional Council (GWRC), has been identified as “a unique resource near Pauatahanui that blends traditional hill country farming, forestry and environmental restoration.”

In 2005 GWRC began the public processes associated with the development of a wind farm at Puketiro. 

The first public consultation, in July 2005, on whether GWRC should develop a wind farm at Puketiro noted, with regard to Battle Hill, “The impact, if any, on the regional park, will be minimal.  We have reached agreement in principle, to access the wind farm site through private property.”

And a council report in December 2005 noted “There has been confusion by a few members of the public about the status of the land where the turbines could be placed.  It is part of the Council’s plantation forestry/future water supply estate and not part of the Battle Hill Farm Forest Park (Battle Hill).  Vehicle access to the wind generation site is not likely to be through Battle Hill.  In the event that it is, then there will be some impact during the 12 month construction phase”

In 2006 Greater Wellington began a review of the Battle Hill Management Plan.  “This is the first review of the plan since 1992 so it’s a good opportunity to reflect and set a framework for the next five years.”

“Battle Hill is widely used for recreation, education and conservation. The plan will outline how we might balance these activities as the pressure for space near urban areas grows,” Cr Laidlaw, Chairman of the Landcare Committee for GWRC said in March

2006.

The impacts of the wind farm on Battle Hill continued to be downplayed with no direct references to the wind farm development.  In the March 2006 Battle Hill Newsletter it was not mentioned although people were invited to “consider ..what place there is for other activities in the park, including commercial activities?”   However a reference to Battle Hill and the Puketiro wind farm did appear in a council report in November 2006, stating “possible roading required to develop and service the windfarm, the possibility of overhead transmission lines ..and references to allowing turbines to be permanent structures on the park itself.”

The contract between GWRC and the wind farm developer, Renewable Energy Systems Ltd, (RES NZ Ltd) was signed in December 2006.

While the wind farm development process was continuing, the review of the Battle Hill management plan was also ongoing and in March 2007 a GWRC news release noted “The feedback, which showed that people placed a high value on the park’s facilities and natural resources, was incorporated into a new draft management plan for the park.” 

In July 2007 the two processes collided when there was a recommendation made that the Parks & Forests Hearing Committee of GWRC “accepts the changes to the draft plan and recommends to Landcare Committee that it approves BHFFP management Plan 2007 for adoption as the final management plan.”  The amendments recommended included the statement “Finally in response to the RES NZ Ltd submissions, policies have been developed to ensure that any conflict between the broader objectives and policies for the management of the park and those pertaining to the development of a wind farm are alleviated.  The management plan now errs in favour of the wind farm development wherever these inconsistencies occur.”

Despite receiving a legal opinion that stated “Incorporating the wind farm policy provisions which override other objectives within the management plan is not consistent with the flavour of a regional park”  GWRC continued to push ahead to finalise the management plan – a plan that would give the wind farm developer precedence in the park over all other users.

At a meeting of the Landcare Committee of GWRC on the 19 September 2007 the adoption of the management plan was challenged by members of the Pauatahanui community.  As a result Council “Resolved to delay final consideration on the Battle Hill plan until further consultation has been carried out with particular reference to wind turbine development”

No further consultation on the future of Battle Hill has been made and Council’s position continues to be that “This consultation has not yet been undertaken because the Council is waiting for RES to provide detailed information on the final siting of all infrastructure associated with the proposed wind farm.”

It is important that users of the park are aware of the wind farm development and GWRC’s stance and are prepared to make their opinions on the future of Battle Hill clear to the council and take the opportunity to  protect what they value about Battle hill Farm Forest Park.