Before you apply for a feasibility permit

Get familiar with the legislation and regulations

Familiarise yourself with the Offshore Renewable Energy Act 2026 (the Act) and the Offshore Renewable Energy Regulations 2026 and the Offshore Renewable Energy (Levies) Regulations 2026 (the Regulations).

Offshore Renewable Energy Regulatory Framework and Regime

Read the relevant application round notice

A feasibility permit application may only be submitted during the application submission period set out in the current application round notice.

Your application must comply with any requirements and/or limitations set out in the round notice, along with the requirements of the Act and Regulations.  

If you are granted a feasibility permit you must comply with the conditions set out in the round notice. Note that permit-specific conditions may also be applied to individual permits when a permit offer is made.

Offshore Renewable Energy Feasibility Permit Application Round Notice 2026

Pre-application consultation with Māori

Before applying for a feasibility permit, applicants must engage with relevant Māori groups, including iwi, hapū and Treaty settlement entities who have rights and interests in the area where the development is proposed.

Consultation should be broad and inclusive and should identify and assess the potential or expected impacts of the proposed development on these rights and interests.

Applicants should begin planning and preparing for consultation early to allow sufficient time for meaningful engagement and for the outcomes of consultation to inform the proposed development. Clear records of all engagement activities, including meetings, correspondence, and feedback received, should be documented, as information about engagement must be provided as part of a feasibility permit application.

Further guidelines when considering and planning consultation:

Crown engagement with Māori(external link) — tpk.govt.nz

Application guidance

This guidance is intended to help applicants prepare a feasibility permit application. It sets out the supporting documents that should be provided, the information those documents should contain, and MBIE's intended approach to the application and assessment process.

It does not replace, alter, or override any requirements under the Act, Regulations, or other applicable New Zealand law, and has no binding legal effect. Applicants are responsible for ensuring that their application complies with all legislative requirements.

Applicants should read this guidance alongside the relevant legislation and application round notice, which are the authoritative sources of the requirements for applying for a feasibility permit, including any requirements or limitations that apply to a specific application round.

Once you have familiarised yourself with the information and guidance on this page and are ready to apply, visit the Completing and submitting your feasibility permit application page.

Interested developers

If you are considering applying for a feasibility permit, we encourage you to register your interest with us before submitting an application. 

Contact: OffshoreRenewables@mbie.govt.nz

Registering allows us to keep you informed of any updates to the process, answers to frequently asked questions, and other relevant information during the application round. It will also help us contact you if needed in relation to your application, particularly close to the round closing date.