Charles Edward Douglas, 1840–1916
Emigrating to New Zealand from Scotland in 1862, Charles Douglas worked at a number of jobs connected with gold mining. From the 1870s until 1906 Douglas explored different parts of South Westland for the Lands and Survey Department and looked for minerals wherever he went.
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James Hector, 1834–1907
From 1865 to 1903 Hector was the leading government scientist. For much of this period he held the positions of director of the New Zealand Geological Survey and Colonial Museum as well as manager of the New Zealand Institute. He and his staff examined and reported on mining and minerals throughout the country.
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William James Mudie Larnach, 1833–1898
Appointed minister of mines in 1885, Larnach was a vigorous advocate for the mining industry. He established schools of mines and arranged for a comprehensive survey of the mines and mineral resources of New Zealand to be published.
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John Lomas, 1848–1933
John Lomas was already an experienced coal miner when he emigrated to New Zealand with his family in 1879. In 1884 he became president of the first coal-mining union at Denniston.
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Thomas Gabriel Read, 1824/26?–1894
Gabriel Read’s discovery of alluvial gold in Gabriels Gully in May 1861 initiated a series of gold rushes that led to prosperity in Otago in the late 19th century.
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