Farmers welcome windfall from wind farms

Wind turbines west of Wellington are not only changing the landscape, they are also transforming landowners' bank balances.

"They're music to my ears, actually," says Ohariu Valley sheep and beef farmer Gavin Bruce, who has a 440-hectare property with eight turbines.

All told there are 88 turbines on two Meridian Energy wind farms: 62 on the West Wind farm, situated on both Meridian's own property as well as on Terawhiti Station, south of Makara; and 26 on the Mill Creek wind farm on four properties in the Ohariu Valley.

Bruce said the turbines had made a big difference to the economics of his business, though he would not divulge how much money changes hands.

"In my case it's a big jump up, equivalent to lifting my stock unit numbers from 4000 to 6000," he estimates.

Further south on 5000ha Terawhiti Station, manager Guy Parkinson says 34 turbines have helped turn the sheep and beef farm from a loss into a profit-maker.

"Without the wind farm it would not have been possible to have turned the farm around," he said.

Besides providing income, Meridian also creates high-quality roading which makes for easier farming, and which it maintains.

In Parkinson's case it used to take two days to muster sheep by horse; now he can drive around the large property in less than an hour on 25 kilometres of roads.

On Bruce's property the 30-year-old fences had to be replaced by Meridian during construction, "cranking up" the returns to the farm.

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Farmers welcome windfall from wind farms