Election 2026: Labour reveals rules it wants imposed on new data centres, artificial intelligence policy
New Zealand's Labour Party has proposed new regulations for data centers, requiring them to secure renewable energy and manage electricity demand during peak times. The policy aims to prevent tech infrastructure from driving up energy costs for citizens ahead of the November election.
Why it matters
As AI and data center energy consumption grow, governments are increasingly forced to balance tech infrastructure needs with national energy security and consumer costs.
Labour's leader Chris Hipkins says AI needs to work for New Zealanders. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Labour will make data centres “pay their own way”, including by requiring that they secure their own renewable energy supply and reduce electricity demand during peak periods.
The party doesn’t want data centres to drive up energy costs for New Zealanders and has outlined a series of rules it would seek to impose if elected at the November 7 election.
They include requiring data centres to secure their own renewable energy supply, pay for their own connection costs, reduce electricity demand during peak stress periods, and use water “efficiently”.
“Our approach is simple: the right-sized data centre in the right place, with the companies that benefit carrying their fair share of the cost,” a Labour policy document says.
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