Election 2026: Labour reveals rules it wants imposed on new data centres, artificial intelligence policy

NZ Herald8 Sep, 2026 11:30 PM4 mins to readLabour's leader Chris Hipkins says AI needs to work for New Zealanders. Photo / Mark Mitchell 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