Countries / Asia-Pacific and Middle East
New Zealand
New Zealand takes a light-touch approach to AI regulation and has a 280MW AI data centre approved in Southland.
The July 2025 AI strategy from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment focuses on private-sector uptake rather than building foundation models, and commits to a light-touch, principles-based approach using existing privacy, consumer and human rights law. Datagrid New Zealand has received resource consent for a NZ$3.5 billion, 280MW data centre at Makarewa near Invercargill, which would be the second-largest electricity user after the Tiwai Point smelter, per RNZ. Microsoft opened an Auckland data centre in 2024, and AWS is building a cluster there. For someone seeking compute, Auckland has hyperscale cloud and Southland is a pipeline project.
AI policy and activity
The strategy says it will update law as new risks arise and has no AI-specific statute. It adopts the OECD AI Principles.
Power and grid
Reported. RNZ says Datagrid's 280MW would be about 6 percent of annual national electricity demand. No Transpower or regulator document was read.
Data centres and compute
| Site | Where | Status | Notes and source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Datagrid New Zealand AI factory Datagrid New Zealand (Mercury has taken a stake, reported) | Makarewa, Invercargill | Planned | Reported. RNZ via the Otago Daily Times (14 March 2026, updated 16 July 2026): resource consent received, 78,000 square metres, dedicated substation, 280MW. A w.media report mentions a 360MVA substation equipment deal. Construction start not confirmed. (source) |
| Microsoft Auckland data centre Microsoft | Auckland | Operating | Reported. RNZ says Microsoft opened a data centre in Auckland in 2024; no capacity figure. (source) |
Rules and programmes
| Instrument | Kind | Status | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Zealand's Strategy for Artificial Intelligence: Investing with confidence | Policy | In force from 1 July 2025 | Primary. Published July 2025 (day not confirmed). States a light-touch approach with no extra regulatory overlay for the OECD principles. |
| Privacy Act 2020 | Law | In force from 1 December 2020 | Primary, Privacy Commissioner site: in force from 1 December 2020; Principle 12 covers disclosure of personal information outside New Zealand. |
Checked on 2 October 2026 and due for review by 1 January 2027. Many sources are trade press or law-firm summaries rather than official texts, and statuses such as reported or unconfirmed are shown as the source gives them. This is a summary, not legal advice. If something is wrong or out of date, tell us.