Far North Solar Farm
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Electricity generation |
| Founded | 2019 |
| Headquarters | New Zealand |
Key people | Richard Homewood John Telfer |
| Website | fnsf |
Far North Solar Farm is a New Zealand electricity generation company that specialises in the construction and operation of photovoltaic power stations. The company is Australian-owned. As of December 2025, it operates one solar farm, with one more under construction.
The company has been described as having an "unusual business history", with its directors previously involved in a solar power company implied by the NZ Sustainable Energy Association to be "disreputable".[1] That company was issued with a formal warning by the NZ Commerce Commission for making misleading claims[2], and was the subject of coverage by NZ consumer affairs programme Fair Go under the headline "Solar power company accused of robbing the community blind".[3]
In May 2021 the company's announced its first project, the Pukenui.[4] In May 2022 it announced a partnership with Aquila Capital to develop 1 GW of solar generation in New Zealand.[5]
In November 2023 the company announced it would apply for resource consent for a 420MW solar farm in the environmentally sensitive Mackenzie District.[6][7] The project was subsequently scheduled in the controversial Fast-track Approvals Act 2024, creating a faster pathway to obtaining resource consent.[8] The project is controversial, with "potentially catastrophic" effects on endangered birdlife.[9]
The Pukenui solar farm was finally completed in October 2025.[10]
The partnership with Aquila Capital ended in December 2025, with Aquila acquiring all interests in the solar farms developed as part of the partnership, including Pukenui.[11]
The company's proposal for a 180-hectare solar farm in Waipara has attracted widespread local opposition and in several areas involves contested legal points. Local sources have indicated the proposal may be subject to appeal through the higher courts in New Zealand.[12]
