The power giant had already asked the three-person panel overseeing the fast-track legislation process for the project to move the hearing into next year.
But it was knocked back by the panel which said there was not enough time to carry this out. The panel is working through the evidence presented and may deliver its decision in the next few days.
Fast-track legislation has an aim of completing the process within six months, although the panel does have the option to extend that by another 50 days.
In a memorandum to the panel last week, Contact Energy said after reviewing joint witness statements and the outcomes of ongoing discussions with key stakeholders, it considered it would benefit the process to provide an updated and further refined proposed set of conditions and any relevant additional information to the panel.
All joint witness statements were completed last week and all specialist conferencing was now finished.
Contact Energy has now proposed to essentially add a brief additional step to the process. It would provide updated conditions, reflecting the progress made from joint witness statements and discussions with key stakeholders such as iwi and councils.
These updated conditions would go to the panel by November 22.
That would still leave 63 working days to get the decision released, if an extension is granted.
Contact Energy said the process had been intensive.
The process of other evidence and conferencing had caused Contact to "reflect on what it can do to address the outcomes".
The panel was yet to reply.
Meanwhile, Ngāi Tahu had replied to the panel’s questions about its submission on the project.
When asked about the importance and significance of the Pawakataka area where the wind farm will be built, the iwi said all landscapes were significant because all elements of the natural world had use and value.
Pawakataka could be used as a way finder, a weather reader and an ecosystem carrying life-saving resources.
Ngāi Tahu had opposed the project and said there were other proposals elsewhere which had materially less effects.
The iwi confirmed Pawakataka has not been transferred into Ka Huru Manu — Ngāi Tahu’s geographical and historical atlas — but said that did not signify the importance or not of the site.
It may not be in the Ka Huru Manu as more research and information was needed.
Contact Energy had said in its reply to evidence by submitters no person from Ngāi Tahu had visited the site after it was sold by the iwi in 2005.
Ngai Tahu drafted some suggested conditions. Among them was developing a working group between the iwi and Contact Energy before construction. It wanted to have monthly meetings with Contact Energy during the building of the wind farm and project outcomes to ensure the mana of the natural resources and the people was strong.
It wanted be involved in the naming of the site, project or features within the wind farm area and have Contact Energy enable better access to the site to allow the rūnaka to reconnect with the landscape and resources over the longer term. Other conditions would be free power to the four marae of Kā Papatipu Rūnaka and a commitment to local businesses owned by or as advised by Kā Papatipu Rūnaka opportunities to provide services on a competitive basis.
It also wanted a scholarship/employment fund with sufficient funding to provide full support to up to two runaka members annually.
