Since forming the Christchurch branch around a year ago, Renwick has seen the number of members increase steadily. After this week's protest, she said she received many messages from concerned citizens wanting to know how they could get involved.
For protest attendee Moana, speaking to the crowd was a matter of upholding her beliefs, as tangata whenua. Particularly when it came to kaitiakitanga.
"It is a responsibility that all of us hold. Anything that has the potential to harm or alter our Tai ai ( environment) also has a duty to transparency.”
The group goes to lengths to explain that they are not anti-technology. Renwick said their aim is to get answers to questions regarding electricity and water demands from the hyperscale centres, and the true scale of economic benefits such as jobs in regions where these data centres are expected to appear.
This protest follows a petition launched in June, calling for a nationwide regulatory framework for hyperscale AI data centre development. Building on this, in July the group called for a moratorium on new hyperscale data centre approvals, to be in place until a regulatory framework is established.
Renwick said the group plans to hold further protests in coming months.
