Protesters opposed to the rapid development of hyperscale data centres will gather at the Bridge of Remembrance in Christchurch tomorrow as part of a nationwide day of action.

The protest will begin at 1.30pm and is being organised by the Christchurch branch of Stop Data Centres NZ.

Similar events will be held around the country with protesters in Auckland, who will gather as political and business leaders attend a summit in the city.

The day of action follows the launch of a petition on 27 June calling for a national regulatory framework covering hyperscale and large scale artificial intelligence data centre developments.

The petition raises concerns about the absence of a consistent national process for assessing the effects of major data centres on water supplies, the electricity grid, emergency services, productive land and nearby communities.

It calls for a moratorium on new hyperscale developments until a comprehensive and publicly accessible framework is established.

Under the proposed moratorium, no further resource consents, fast track approvals or regulatory changes enabling hyperscale data centres would proceed until national rules were in place.

The campaign is focused on the new generation of hyperscale and AI optimised developments rather than the smaller data centres that have operated in New Zealand for many years.

Traditional data centres provide digital storage and computing services for businesses and public agencies. Hyperscale facilities are considerably larger and can require substantial amounts of electricity, water and land.

Interest in building large data centres in the South Island has been concentrated in Southland, where developers have pointed to the cool climate and access to renewable electricity as advantages.

The largest development is planned for a 49 hectare site at Makarewa, north of Invercargill.

Datagrid NZ has received resource consents for a hyperscale facility with up to 240 megawatts of information technology capacity. The centre is intended to be used for artificial intelligence training, processing and data storage.

Plans also include an undersea internet cable connecting Ōreti Beach near Invercargill with Australia.

The Makarewa development has consent to draw up to 604,800 litres of groundwater each day and discharge contaminants from up to 84 diesel generators used for backup electricity. The project also requires the removal of a small wetland.

Southland Sustainable Resource Coalition leader Kelly Blomfield said residents had questions about the proposed centre’s demand for water and electricity, its use of productive land and the effects of its backup generators.

“I think that most people’s actual concern is that we don’t find out anything until it is done,” Blomfield said at a public meeting held to discuss the project.

The national petition calls for public oversight of how large data centres obtain, consume, treat, reuse and discharge water. It also seeks mandatory reporting and independent monitoring.

Its proposed electricity rules are intended to prevent the cost of supplying hyperscale facilities, or any associated risk to grid reliability, from being transferred to households and small businesses.

The petition also calls for data centre operators to fund specialist Fire and Emergency New Zealand training, equipment and response capability.

Further demands include independent monitoring of noise, heat, air emissions and electromagnetic fields, along with binding privacy, security and data governance standards overseen by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner.

The campaign does not oppose technology or artificial intelligence in principle. Although its petition raises concerns about the use of automation to replace critical human roles in public agencies such as the Ministry of Social Development.

A code of conduct issued for tomorrow’s events asks participants to protest peacefully and lawfully, respect pedestrians and other road users, and cooperate with police and councils.