Centralines, a New Zealand-based electricity distributor, has formed a joint venture with Lodestone Energy, an Auckland-based solar developer, to develop a solar farm in Ongaonga, Central Hawke’s Bay. The project has secured NZD 8 million (~ $4.72 million) in funding from the Government’s Regional Infrastructure Fund to enhance local energy resilience and improve electricity market competition. According to Centralines, the solar farm is expected to generate approximately 52 GWh annually, which is sufficient to power around 9,000 electricity connections in the region. Lodestone Energy has stated that it will apply agrivoltaic practices by combining solar generation with sheep grazing on-site. The facility is planned to connect to the Centralines network through a new 33kV switchroom near the Waipawa grid exit point. Construction of the project will start in December 2025 and will take 12 months, with up to 80 jobs being created, of which 30 will be high-skilled positions during construction and operational planning stages.