Fairy tern stalls fast-tracked Glorit solar farm

The 292ha solar farm site sits on the Kaipara Harbour, close to key habitats for NZ’s rarest bird, the tiny tara iti NZ fairy tern. Forest & Bird has lodged a High Court appeal against resource consents granted for a 292-hectare solar farm west of Kaipara Coast Highway in Glorit last month. An independent expert panel approved the application to site 280,000 tilting solar panels under the fast-track consenting process. However, Forest & Bird general counsel Erika Toleman says not enough was done to consider risks to the critically endangered tara iti New Zealand fairy tern and other ra...