New Zealand 14,400-tonne salmon farms project gets the green light
Four sites planned in 2,500-hectare block off coast of island in the south
Plans for four large salmon farms in exposed coastal waters in the far south of New Zealand have received final approval through the country's "fast track" system for infrastructure, it has been announced.
Ngāi Tahu Seafood’s Hananui Aquaculture Project is for 2,500 hectares of the coastal marine area in Te Ara a Kiwa (Foveaux Strait) north-east of Rakiura (Stewart Island), the third-largest and southernmost inhabited island of New Zealand, lying 16 nautical miles south of the South Island.
Once Hananui is fully operational, it is projected to produce 14,400 tonnes of king salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) per year, generating more than $310 million in sales, and creating 415 to 480 jobs in the region.
A global appetite
“This is almost as much salmon as was produced by all of New Zealand’s salmon farms in 2025-2026,” said fisheries and oceans minister Shane Jones.
“The global appetite for our king salmon is extremely high, representing a massive opportunity for New Zealand. To take full advantage of it we need to increase supply to meet this demand, and the approval of Hananui is an incredibly positive step in this direction.
“This Government has made aquaculture growth a focus, setting a NZ $3 billion annual revenue target for the sector by 2035. A key pillar to achieving this goal identified in our Aquaculture Development Plan is large-scale open-ocean farming such as Hananui.
“Fast-track approval means these projects can proceed sooner, supporting jobs, regional growth, and export earnings, as well as New Zealand's position as a leader in sustainable seafood production.”
40 pens in stage 1
Stage 1 consists of one block of 10 pens at each of the four farm sites and a total discharge of 15,000 tonnes of feed per annum across all four farm sites for the purpose of growing finfish.
In stage 2 a second block with a maximum of 10 pens will be introduced at each of the four farm sites. The total feed discharge will rise to 25,000 tonnes of feed per annum.
Progression to Stage 2 will be dependent on the monitoring results from the Stage 1 and effects remaining within thresholds under a proposed adaptive management regime.
Largest tribal group
Ngāi Tahu Seafood (NTS) processes wild-caught seafood – lobster, abalone, oysters, blue cod (Parapercis colias), and scampi – and has its head office adjacent to the Christchurch International Airport in South Island. It also has bases in Bluff, on the south coast of South Island, and Kaikōura, on the northeast coast of the island.
The company is part of Ngāi Tahu, the largest Māori tribal group (iwi) of Te Waipounamu (the South Island) of New Zealand, with more than 84,000 members.
NTS is proposing to use 168-metre-circumference circular pens at the proposed site, such as those produced by various aquaculture suppliers including Akva Group and Scale AQ.
The company proposes to use single, predator-proof nets that will extend to a maximum depth of 22m below the surface. A minimum 5m clearance will be kept between the bottom of the pen and the seabed, which means that in some instances the net depth will be less than 22m.
An important milestone
In a LinkedIn post, NTS parent company Ngāi Tahu Holdings Corporation, said that for Ngāi Tahu, apporval of the plan “represents an important milestone in exploring aquaculture opportunities within our own takiwā (tribal area)”.
“The positive decision follows a previous decline in 2023 and reflects a substantially strengthened application addressing environmental effects, biosecurity and marine ecosystem management. We acknowledge the rigour of the process and are pleased the panel found in favour of the project.
“We will now assess the consent conditions and confirm a commercial pathway before making final decisions on how to proceed.”
