Steve Griffin, a member of the Te Pohue School board until he stood down in October, is concerned the noise created by the swishing of turbine blades would drive teachers and children to distraction and eventually cause the roll to drop and the school to close.

"The noise issue is a fairly local one. However, if the school is under threat by it, it is major for the district," Mr Griffin said.

"We have grown the roll in the past couple of years from about 30 to close to 50 but if it became gradually lower due to the noise and distractions from 15 visible turbines, it could be closed down.

"It is the hub and focal point of the community and the centre of most community events. Life would be very different here without a school.

"There's nothing we can do if the noise becomes so bad that we can't run a classroom. They can't pick up and move the whole village and school."

Mr Griffin was one of more than 100 people who attended a public meeting at the Te Pohue Hall on December 12, chaired by Napier MP Chris Tremain, to discuss line company Unison's plans for 16 turbines and Hawke's Bay Wind Farms Ltd's proposal for 75 turbines.

Both applications have been approved by the Hastings District Council's hearings committee and are being appealed at the Environment Court by historian Patrick Parsons' Outstanding Natural Landscapes Protection Society of which Mr Griffin is a member.