Oravida has opened a new solar installation at its Otakiri bottling plant, with a ceremony on Monday attended by iwi, industry partners and local representatives.

Guests toured the bottling facility and adjacent ground-mounted solar farm before a karakia was held at the site.

The project has been described as a New Zealand first, with the Otakiri facility becoming the country’s first solar-powered water bottling plant.

Among those at attending were former Prime Minister Dame Jenny Shipley, East Coast MP Dana Kirkpatrick, Oravida general manager Robyn Farmer and representatives of Ngāti Rangitihi, Ngāti Tūwharetoa and Ngāti Awa, along with contractors and project partners.

Visitors were shown the solar array in operation, with sheep grazing beneath the panels, highlighting the dual use of the land.

The 144kW installation, reported on earlier this year, supplies around two-thirds of the plant’s electricity demand and forms part of the company’s broader sustainability efforts. The solar farm was completed late last year and is designed to support daytime production when energy demand is highest.

The Otakiri plant employs eight staff, with workers drawn from Kawerau, Ōtākiri, Whakatāne and Edgecumbe.

Oravida exports most of its bottled water overseas and has signalled further international expansion, with sustainability increasingly central to its operations, including a focus on recyclable packaging such as glass bottles and planned aluminium formats.

Monday’s event marked the completion of the project, with attendees also taking part in a tasting of Oravida products.