Hundreds of residents crammed into an Invercargill meeting room to learn more about the AI data centre coming to their region. The public meeting on Wednesday night was organised by the Southland Sustainable Resource Coalition to discuss the data centre. Singapore-based company Datagrid has consent to build a 280MW, 78,000sq m AI-focused facility at Makarewa. “Our children and grandchildren … are going to suffer through this, not us,” a coalition member said. If completed, it would become New Zealand’s largest data centre and the country’s second-largest electricity user after Tiwai Point aluminium smelter. [Missing Credit]An artist's impression of the AI data centre planned for Makarewa, near Invercargill. Members of the community were questioning what they would “get out of this?" and how much of the income generated from the facility would be taxable within the New Zealand jurisdiction. "Will that tax liability be similar to Facebook and Google who extract so much and contribute so little to this community of ours?" was a question from the floor. There was also widespread concern the resource consent was processed without public notification. Southland District Mayor Rob Scott faced what he described as a "passionate" crowd keen to learn more about the development. The public had “justifiable concerns”. There had not been a lot of information released to the city’s residents about the proposed centre which had 11 non-notified resource consents approved in March. "You've got to take your hat off to the Southland community for standing up and looking after their backyard — which we all care about." Mr Scott said an invitation to attend a meeting would be extended to Datagrid's founder and chief executive Remi Galasso where questions could be fielded and concerns addressed. "I think it's a big ask to get [Datagrid] in front of an angry crowd like this. But I think a good first step is to get them in front of the committee. "I think it's important that those conversations are had with the people there.” Southland Sustainable Resource Coalition chairwoman Kelly Blomfield said she was impressed with the turnout. "I didn't expect people to be this passionate, but it's fantastic to see and it's great that people are concerned about their environment … and they're wanting to do something about it. “We’re here to shine a light and show them where to go. “Our position is about transparency, and it’s about educating the public and letting the public be part of the conversation instead of finding out after the fact.” Members of the Southland Sustainable Resource Coalition provided information relating to water-take, noise pollution and wider environmental impacts including personal and animal health issues. Members also challenged the necessity of some approved resource consents since Datagrid announced it would adopt a free air cooling system instead of a groundwater-sourced one. They believed the change potentially warranted a variation to the water resource consent which lapses in 2061 or a complete surrender of those no longer needed or relevant. Ms Blomfield believed the current AI data trend was not sustainable and was “going to fall on its own ass eventually”.
