The largest employer in a small central Canterbury town says local government “arrogance” is behind his company’s decision to expand its business in the Philippines rather than create a further 40 jobs in the Selwyn District.

Henry Studholme is managing director of Prime Foods New Zealand, which operates an export licensed smoked seafood factory in Hororata, near the Rakaia River.

He says he had planned to expand his salmon processing factory in Hororata but after a spat with the local council he decided to look elsewhere.

Having just had consent declined for a $550 million wind farm near Dannevirke, Contact Energy has another fight on its hands over an even bigger project in the Waikato.

Contact has applied for consent to build a $1.2 billion 540-watt capacity wind farm with 150 turbines along the coast from Port Waikato to Raglan.