By Dave Goosselink
Residents who have waged the six year battle against Project Hayes say Meridian's change of heart is not just a victory for Central Otago.
They believe the decision will have a major impact on the way future projects are developed.
It’s been a long and weary battle for campaigners in the Maniototo.
They have had to put their lives on hold, but insist it was worth the sacrifice.
“There's something in the New Zealand psyche that just loves even the mythical aspect of our landscapes. And even people that haven't been here somehow identify with them,” says Save Central campaigner Graye Shattky.
Opponents from different backgrounds joined forces to try and prevent the Lammermoor Range from becoming the southern hemisphere's biggest wind farm.
“I personally in my own work have been inspired by this place, if that's the right word. And I decided years ago, if I belonged anywhere that it was here. And I had a duty to try to protect it, and provide a legacy for those who came after us,” says poet Brian Turner.
Artist Grahame Sydney is another whose opposition was built around his love of the area.
He is best known for his paintings of Central Otago's pristine landscapes.
“Our primary argument was that this was a landscape that shouldn't be defiled or defaced in any way. It's too special, it's too unique, and it's too rare. And we have little enough of that left,” he says.
The group spent $400,000 and many thousands of volunteer hours fighting the massive wind farm.
They say Meridian's decision is a victory for all their supporters across the country.
But they say it has not come without real costs.
“The disruption and relocation of families, farmers having to give up their farms,” says Graye Shattky.
He says it is still not the end of the journey; Meridian is appealing a ruling which classes the Lammermoors as an "outstanding landscape".
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