Projects

Higgins is laying the groundwork for a pioneering renewable energy and green hydrogen hub on a working dairy farm in South Taranaki.

The Kapuni wind farm will harness coastal winds  through four Vestas V162 6.4 MW wind turbines,  with the ability to provide enough renewable electricity to power up to 24,000 homes.

The turbines will supply renewable electricity to Ballance's Kapuni site, enable green hydrogen production for emissions-free transport and to augment some of the natural gas feedstock used to manufacture lower carbon fertiliser, and electricity to the grid.

It is the first project in Aotearoa to integrate wind, industrial electricity supply and green hydrogen production at scale, with the ability to decarbonise multiple sectors simultaneously; namely transport, energy, industry and agriculture.

Higgins is carrying out the earthworks, constructing the crane platforms, foundations, and 2.5km of site access and internal tracks. Upgrading public roads along the turbine transport route from Port Taranaki in New Plymouth to the site is also in scope. Large volumes of concrete for the foundations will be sourced from local batching plants in Hāwera and Stratford.

Kapuni wind farm is a joint project between Hiringa Energy, Ballance Agri-Nutrients, Todd, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, and landowner Parininihi ki Waitōtara.

Standing up the country’s largest wind turbines for Northland’s first wind farm.

Northwest of Dargaville and just 3km inland, the remote site harnesses prevailing west coast winds from the Tasman Sea. It is expected to produce 221 GWh per year – enough to power around 27,000 homes.

Higgins delivered 12 turbine foundations designed to cater for the next generation, 206m-tall Vestas V162 turbine structures – a first for New Zealand and the largest of their type at nearly 800m3 a pour. The northern cluster of the development hosts seven, and the southern five, allowing for staged generation from mid-2026. Higgins led a pre-construction phase to optimise sequencing and interfaces between key delivery partners, ensuring locally available pavement materials were incorporated into the design.

Higgins  built 15km of onsite access tracks, with local roads upgraded to allow the turbine components to be transported to site. Over 700,000m3 of earth was moved in steep and exposed terrain, extensive ground improvements undertaken, and supporting infrastructure installed. Specialist trade interfaces were managed throughout.

Environmental planning protected the local Bittern (matuku-hūrepo) population, while the existing farm continued to operate safely during construction.

Overcoming the elements to deliver New Zealand’s second largest wind farm in the Deep South.

Construction started in the depths of winter following completion of stage one. The two-year programme included the installation of 36 new V136 Vestas turbines to increase generating capacity from 43MW to 198MW – enough to supply an additional 73,000 homes. 
Higgins delivered major civil scope including 1.47 million m3 of earthworks, 42km of access tracks, and 36 turbine foundations, which took a total of 19,000m3 of concrete batched onsite and 1,700 tonnes of reinforcing steel to construct. 125,000m3 of rock was blasted onsite and crushed for reuse in foundations and pavements.

The remote and rugged high-country site 15km southeast of Gore posed numerous challenges. Working in high wind zones and variable ground conditions, the team endured one of Southland’s wettest springs in over 70 years. Proactive, agile programming ensured the project remained ahead of schedule, with winter-work planning and adaptive sequencing to maintain progress during peak winter months. The team consistently achieved zero harm and high-quality outcomes, with approximately half the project workforce locally based.

Accelerated construction in challenging hill country terrain.

Located 15km southeast of Gore, the first stage of Kaiwera Downs included construction of ten Vestas V136-4.3MW wind turbines, generating a combined average of 148GWh each year – enough to power more than 20,000 homes or 66,000 electric vehicles.

As main contractor, Higgins provided pre-construction services to optimise construction methods and coordinate planning. Physical works included 215,000m³ of earthworks - efficiently balancing cut and fill eliminated the need for long distance offsite disposal. For the turbine foundations, 3,800 m3 of concrete was batched onsite, 440t reinforcing used, and ground improvements undertaken. Rock blasted to make way for the foundations was reused in the 20km of onsite access tracks and 6.5km of local road upgrades.

Civil works were completed and the wind farm brought online just a year from groundbreaking – under budget and to schedule.

Mercury noted the planning, safety management, and team culture underpinning excellent safety, time, cost, and quality outcomes. 

Collaborative planning and construction to manage unique coastal site constraints.  

Spread across four properties on 980ha of flat coastal land between Pātea and Waverley in South Taranaki, the project included the installation of 31 4.3MW Siemens Gamesa turbines, the largest installed in the country at the time. Waipipi generates around 455 GWh a year – enough to power approximately 70,000 homes.

Higgins upgraded 4.5km of road between SH3 and the Dryden Road site entrance, and managed the construction of 24km of access tracks including a stock underpass, 155,000m3 of earthworks, extensive drainage given the high water table, ground improvements (rammed aggregate piling and dynamic compaction), and foundation construction for each of the turbine locations. Two onsite mobile concrete batching plants were used for the 3,010m3 of concrete required.

Higgins worked collaboratively with the other key workstreams to deliver  the project on time and within budget despite the additional challenges of Covid-19.

Smart planning and timely delivery for this high-profile project on Wellington’s doorstep.

Located near Ōhāriu Valley, Mill Creek generates up to 59.8MW, enough to power about 34,000 homes. 
Higgins delivered the civil balance of plant across three separable portions. 10,000m3 of concrete and 1,300 tonnes of steel were used for the 26 Siemens 2.3MW turbine foundations and hardstands. The 800,000m3 earthworks programme was completed with fully compliant winter works.

A new 5km road was constructed from Spicers Landfill (Broken Hill Road) to Ohariu Valley, as the existing local roading network was too narrow and winding for the oversized equipment and materials. An additional 15km of access roading was also built.

Using a collaborative delivery model, Higgins worked with Meridian to drive opportunities, innovation and smart construction methodologies, successfully delivering the two-year civil scope of works programme on time. 

Meridian Energy’s Project West Wind saw the construction of 62 wind turbines at Terawhiti Station and Makara Farm west of Wellington.

This was the third Wind Farm project successfully undertaken by the Higgins Projects team.  Civil construction of wind farms involves a unique set of environmental challenges and the harsh and isolated location of Project Westwind was no different.  The success of the project shows the strength of the Higgins specialist knowledge and the commitment and 'can do' attitude of the Higgins teams.