Scientists are planning to drill in the central North Island to look for super-hot fluids that reach temperatures of about 400°C.
They say the geothermal resource could provide about 10,000 megawatts of electricity, enough to power the whole country at any given moment.
Led by GNS Science, the researchers want to drill 5km underground to search for the very hot fluids - about 2km deeper than existing geothermal boreholes.
They think the hotter fluids could provide a much greater energy output than conventional geothermal resources.
At the moment, the sector accounts for about 740 megawatts, or 13%, of New Zealand's power generation.
