A community gala day will be held at Raglan’s Kopua Domain on Sunday 10 April to celebrate the completion of the Te Uku wind farm.
The gala day, which takes place between 9am and 4pm, with special guest Jeremy Wells, will involve food and craft stalls, free children’s face painting, kite making and flying and bus tours of the wind farm hosted by Meridian Energy.
Families can bring their kites to the Domain, or make their own kite on the day, and fly them using the same wind power Meridian uses to power the Te Uku wind farm.
The day will also include a variety of professional kite flying demonstrations and competitions. There will also be a major prize of 12 months of free power to be won.
Robert Batters, Project Manager for the Te Uku wind farm, says the day is about thanking the community for their support during the construction of the wind farm.
“Locals have really got behind the wind farm and have seen the benefits to the community. We wanted to hold a community fundraising event to thank everyone for their support and celebrate the completion of the project.
“The gala day is going to be a fun day out while also giving locals the chance to visit the completed wind farm, which will generate renewable energy right in their own backyard,” Mr Batters says.
Te Uku wind farm bus tour tickets can be purchased from WEL Networks at 114 Maui Street, Hamilton, Raglan Information Centre, or by phoning Te Uku School (07 825 5815) or Raglan Area School (07 825 8140). Spaces are limited.
Tickets for the wind farm bus tours cost $5 per person. Buses for the wind farm tour will depart from the Kopua Domain at regular intervals between 8am and 3pm. Proceeds from the gala, including the wind farm bus tours will go to the area’s four local schools – Waitetuna, Te Uku, Te Mata and Raglan Area School and local community organisations.
The Te Uku wind farm is Meridian’s fifth wind farm, and consists of 28 Siemens turbines that together at full capacity generate 64.4 MWs of electricity, enough to power around 30,000 average-sized New Zealand homes.