The West Coast extends over a distance of some 325 miles on the western side of the Southern Alps in the South Island. Rarely does its width exceed 25 miles and nowhere does it reach much beyond 50 miles. The limits of the region correspond to those of the counties Buller, Murchison, Inangahua, Grey, and Westland, which, together with their interior boroughs, constitute the principal basis for the collection of statistics. The decision to include Murchison county may be disputed, but it is a small point. Greymouth (population 8,881, 1961) is the largest town of the region, which, in 1961, had a total population of 38,875 (1·61 per cent of the New Zealand total population) of which 1·04 per cent were registered as Maoris.
No other region of New Zealand has achieved the celebrity or the degree of individuality which belongs to the West Coast. The gold-rush period, the present dependence upon exploitative industries, the isolation, and the varied landscapes have all contributed to the region's unique social and political solidarity. Nevertheless, in the origins of its renown are to be found also the causes of its decline. The excessive dependence upon coal mining and forestry, the isolation, the scarcity of easily farmed land, the relatively low standard of land use, and the general absence of economic and social development during the past decades, have reduced the West Coast to a position of a marginal region in need of special considerations and assistance. During the last decade, 1951–61, the population of the region declined by 5·22 per cent.
In broad terms the West Coast consists of a narrow strip of land composed mainly of alluvium and glacial deposits brought down by the rivers and glaciers flowing from the Southern Alps. Located on the western side of the main range it has an exceedingly high rainfall, which is well distributed throughout the year. Thus Hokitika has an average annual rainfall of 108·8 in. and the average number of rain days is 194. Nevertheless, sunshine hours are quite high, 1,840, and the range of temperature is low. The mean daily maximum for January is 65·3F and the mean daily minimum for July is 35·6F. The original vegetation was mostly nothofagus (or beech) and podocarp forest, and it remains so over large areas because of the steep terrain. A portion of the forest is still being exploited; the remainder has been converted to farm land, but a considerable area is occupied by scrub and poorly regenerated forest. The land-utilisation survey for 1959 estimated that only 168,800 acres, or 4·4 per cent of the total area, was developed and, of this, 37·6 per cent was under poor grass; 378,600 acres, 9·8 per cent of the total area, was under scrub, whilst 66 per cent was still clothed in native bush and 16·6 per cent consisted of barren mountain tops.
To understand the region one must pass beyond this elementary physical pattern, because in terms both of human and of physical geography the West Coast divides into a northern and southern section, the dividing line being to the south of Hokitika, perhaps near Ross. To the south the physical pattern is, as already described, a narrow coastal plain with the ranges steeply rising above it. There are no settlements of a thousand or more people; a few small villages, such as Harihari (population, 1961, 250), act as centres for the farming population which occupies some of the larger alluvial fans. Sheep, as well as dairy and beef cattle, are run. There is very little sawmilling to the south of Ross, but the tourist, who provides the third source of income, has the opportunity of passing through some large sections of virgin bush. The attraction is always the Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers, which descend from the main ranges at altitudes of 10,000 ft to within 700 ft of sea level. Exceptional views occur of glaciers framed by native bush, and from sites nearer to the coast a magnificent panorama is obtained of the glaciers and the principal peaks of the Southern Alps, Mount Tasman (11,475 ft), Cook (12,349 ft), and La Perouse (10,101 ft). These constitute the more public of the scenic attractions; progressively, other attractions are being opened up to a smaller clientele through the use of the aeroplane. With the completion of the Haast Pass road, the greatest detraction to tourism in the region, the necessity of making the long return journey to Hokitika, has been removed and it is now possible to continue the journey through to Central Otago.
The northern section of the West Coast is essentially the work place of the region. It is not without its tourist attractions (the Punakaiki Rocks have a fascination for some), but there is more to engage the attention of the economist, geographer, sociologist, and historian. The simple plan of the physical geography is broken by the Paparoa Range, which stands between the coast and the main range. Composed largely of metamorphic rocks, it attains a height of 4,925 ft in the north and 3,992 ft in the south, and it is here, near the lower reaches of the Grey River, that the range is flanked by coal-bearing early Tertiary rocks. The valley of the Grey and its tributaries creates a large area of lowlying country to the east of the Paparoa Range, which is important for farming and which contains the main road and rail connections between Greymouth and Reefton and via the Buller Gorge, Westport. North of Westport the simple pattern of coastal plain backed by mountains is repeated, but the relief is much lower, between 3,000 to 5,000 ft, and whilst old metamorphic rocks are present, the rocks of the coastal range are largely of Tertiary Age with coal-bearing series exposed close to Denniston, Stockton, and Seddonville. This area is known as the Buller coalfield. To the north lies Karamea (population, 1961, 220), a small centre serving the farming population located on the surrounding alluvial fan. Beyond Karamea the coast is wild, desolate, and uninhabited.
The coalfields of the West Coast contain all the measured bituminous reserves of the Dominion. The 905,532 tons which were produced in 1960 represents 30·06 per cent of the total New Zealand coal production, 493,888 tons coming from the Grey field, 300,630 tons from the Buller, and 111,014 tons from the Reefton field. In 1910, when the national coal production was 2,197,362 tons, the West Coast accounted for 60 per cent of that total (1,312,312 tons), so that present production is 30·99 per cent below the levels obtained 50 years ago. Since that period the contribution made by the Grey field to the total West Coast production has increased from approximately one-third to a half, whilst the Buller's contribution has decreased from approximately two-thirds to one-third. The production of the Reefton field has risen from 1 per cent of the total in 1910 to 12·25 per cent of the 1960 total. These figures suggest both the varied histories of the different fields and the general, if slow decline which the whole industry has experienced. In the Grey coalfield there is little opencast mining, and State mines account for most of the employment. Production has declined since the war years, but not to the same extent as in the case of the Buller fields. Most of the miners reside in Runanga, Brunner, or Blackball, and in Greymouth. Characteristically, these settlements have relatively high ratios of males to females and a low proportion of people over 65 years of age. The bulk of the coal produced in the Buller field comes from the mines high up on the coastal range (smaller fields exist at Charleston and near Inangahua). In addition to bituminous, sub-bituminous coal and lignite are produced and, while much of the coal is exploited underground, opencast pits are to be found. This field achieved its greatest level of production about the time of the First World War, since when the production has declined. The State again is the principal employer. The mining settlements are notoriously unattractive and their populations have declined markedly as the miners have been rehoused in the lower and coastal localities. In the Reefton district the State is not such an important employer and the mines tend to be smaller with opencast mining supplying more than a third of the total production. Production has increased continuously since the beginning of the century.
Twelve per cent of the country's total production of timber is derived from the West Coast, most of it being cut in Grey and Westland counties. The real significance of the region's sawmilling industry lies in the 24 per cent of the total indigenous timber production which it supplies. Some of the largest remaining virgin and millable expanses of podocarp forest are in the region, rimu being the preferred timber. The beech forests are less favoured because the timbers are incompetitive with those of the podocarps. The silvicultural management of rimu is, however, complex and the regeneration of the stands difficult. Only in recent years has investigation into sustained yield forestry been undertaken and it is recognised that the period of regeneration is a long one. Consequently the exploitation of the more quickly and easily regenerated northern beech forests appears as a more attractive proposition, whilst the establishment of exotic forests on the steeper cut-over rimu lands is under consideration. The derelict condition of vast areas of cut-over land is a constant reminder of the exploitative attitude which has prevailed throughout the economic life of the region. The implementation of a successful and scientific management policy for the forests would be a major factor in refurbishing the region's economy.
In April 1961 only 9·48 per cent of the working population of the Greymouth Employment District (its limits correspond closely to the region's) was engaged in farming, compared with the national average of 1·4·38 per cent. By contrast, 21·16 per cent was engaged in mining, quarrying, and other primary activity, compared with the national average of 166 per cent. These figures show the secondary position which agriculture holds in the region's economy. The amount of land readily suited to farming is limited and is dispersed in a number of blocks throughout the length of the region. Both the physical and the social conditions have not favoured farming, so that it is of an extensive nature and management practices are below those prevailing in other regions. The marginal lands, which are estimated to include 11·5 per cent of the total area, have attracted perhaps an unwarranted amount of attention considering the under-utilisation of the areas already farmed. Included within these marginal lands are substantial areas of difficult soils known locally as pakihi lands. There have been some rare successes in improving these soils. Approximately 33,000 acres of them are located close to Westport and, while it is admitted that their development would materially improve the town's economic life, they are considered to be quite unsuitable for immediate investment, though worthy of large-scale experimentation. During the period 1951–52 to 1959–60 the number of cows in milk has increased by 1·21 per cent, the increase being registered largely in Westland county, whilst Grey and Inangahua counties have shown a decline. The percentage increase in sheep shorn is quite high, 72·66, and in lambs shorn, spectacular, 260·78 per cent but the numbers involved are, unfortunately, negligible. It is of interest that these increases have been sustained on slightly lower acreages of area grassed. The total area grassed has declined by 3·7 per cent, but both Westland county and, especially, Inangahua county have shown increases. These figures indicate a welcome trend towards intensification, but at the same time suggest divergent trends of development within the region. As the land utilisation survey of 1959 concluded: “The fact that only 8·6 per cent of the total area is farmable land would seem to indicate that the area as a whole would always be uneconomic as a farming region” and it “always will be only a small contributor to the pastoral wealth of the Dominion”.
Compared with the rest of the country, the region has a high percentage of its labour force in transport, 15·23 per cent in 1961, compared with the national figure of 9·69 per cent. This reflects the exploitative nature of the economy and the region's isolation. Greymouth and Westport are the two ports, each handling approximately 200,000 tons of goods every year with hardly any inward cargo. The past three decades have seen a marked decline in tonnage handled, both timber and coal exports suffering. In addition, the proportion of the total coal production exported by sea has fallen off; in 1956 it was 32 per cent, compared with 88 per cent in 1922.
Both ports are difficult ones, being subjected to silting and building up of river-mouth bars, and lacking protection from the prevailing winds. Over the same period of time the movement of goods by rail has increased considerably as coal, timber, and, especially, livestock have been increasingly deflected from the ports and railed to Christchurch. The rail connection between Christchurch and the Coast was completed in 1923 with the opening of the Otira Tunnel. Previously Inangahua, Reefton, and Hokitika had been connected with Greymouth, and the settlements of the Buller coalfields with Westport. Not until 1944 were Westport and Greymouth linked through Inangahua Junction. By road the West Coast can be approached from Nelson and Marlborough via the Buller Gorge, a difficult route which passes through Murchison, a small centre that serves the local dairying population and a few sawmillers. The road via Arthur's Pass is the most spectacular way to reach the Coast and it is consequently largely a tourist route, sometimes closed in winter. The main route is via the Lewis Pass (2,968 ft) and this carries the greatest density of traffic. Air services, however, speedily link the main parts of the region to the rest of the country.
| Urban Population | |||||
| Town | 1911 | 1936 | 1951 | 1961 | 1961 Maoris |
| Westport | 4,729 | 4,241 | 5,505 | 5,460 | 20 |
| Runanga | 1,091 | 1,647 | 1,828 | 1,735 | 10 |
| Greymouth | 5,469 | 8,115 | 8,865 | 8,881 | 45 |
| Brunner | 1,007 | 998 | 1,113 | 1,073 | 18 |
| Hokitika | 2,291 | 2,689 | 2,986 | 3,007 | 37 |
| Reefton | 1,544 | 1,444 | 1,787 | 1,750 | 19 |
| Total | 16,131 | 19,134 | 22,084 | 21,906 | 149 |
| County Population | |||||
| County | 1911 | 1936 | 1951 | 1961 | 1961 Maoris |
| Buller | 6,682 | 6,350 | 4,996 | 4,088 | 27 |
| Murchison | 1,014 | 1,919 | 1,393 | 1,448 | 23 |
| Inangahua | 2,959 | 2,447 | 1,933 | 1,331 | 33 |
| Grey | 6,111 | 5,698 | 5,118 | 4,767 | 39 |
| Westland | 4,274 | 6,505 | 5,493 | 5,335 | 134 |
| Total county | 21,040 | 22,919 | 18,933 | 16,969 | 256 |
| Total region | 37,171 | 42,053 | 41,017 | 38,875 | 405 |
| Land Occupation | ||
| County | Average Area of Holdings 1960 | Area Occupied 1960 |
| acres | acres | |
| Buller | 290 | 83,820 |
| Murchison | 1,469 | 224,805 |
| Inangahua | 540 | 91,176 |
| Grey | 547 | 197,604 |
| Westland | 1,069 | 548,243 |
| Cows in Milk | ||||
| County | Cows in Milk | Dairy Cows in Milk per 100 Sheep Shorn 1960 | ||
| 1921–22 | 1951–52 | 1959–60 | ||
| Buller | 5,171 | 6,875 | 7,036 | 100·17 |
| Murchison | 3,086 | 3,963 | 4,048 | 6·69 |
| Inangahua | 2,234 | 2,059 | 1,836 | 4·55 |
| Grey | 4,573 | 4,276 | 3,872 | 6·32 |
| Westland | 5,599 | 9,814 | 10,523 | 16·70 |
| Total | 20,663 | 26,987 | 27,315 | .. |
However interesting historically are the towns of the Coast, at best they appear unattractive places in which to live and their appearance mirrors the relative stagnation of the economy and the slow growth of population. During the decade 1951–61 the urban population of the West Coast declined by 0·8 per cent and only two towns, Greymouth and Hokitika, showed an increase – 16 and 18 respectively. Only one county, Murchison, showed an increase of population; all the others registered a decline, so that the total rural population decreased by 10·3 per cent. Overall, the regional population fell by 5·2 per cent so that in 1961 the West Coast contained only 1,704 more persons than it did in 1911. In the period April 1953 to April 1961, although the labour force engaged in manufacturing increased by 5 per cent, which is well below the national level of increase, the total labour force declined by 7·43 per cent. In response to the challenge of these rather depressing figures, a number of investigating bodies have put forward a variety of proposals designed to stimulate growth and diversify the economy. A recommendation for the establishment of a large-scale integrated forest-product industry has initially received the warmest reception.
Despite the exceedingly low percentage of the total population contained in the region, it has been able to exercise an extraordinary influence in national affairs, due partly to the historical importance of the area, partly to the importance of the West Coast seats in the politics of the Labour Party, and to the strength of the coalminers' trade unions. The resentment of the West Coasters at the treatment they were supposedly receiving was expressed in the 1962 by-elections when, in a safe seat, the Labour candidate's majority fell to 294. But the issue goes deeper than party politics. Technological developments are against the coal industry and alternative sources of fuel are welcomed by sorely tried consumers. Where science, technology, or affluence favours West Coast industries, as with timber and tourism, the old traditions of the exploitative economies are inhibitory. A number of new industries have been suggested for the area, but before the tide can be turned–and in a period of rapid national demographic growth an overall decline of 5 per cent indicates a strongly adverse tide–the whole economy of the region, the pattern of its urban settlements, and its demographic structure need remoulding to the requirements of the twentieth century.
by Samuel Harvey Franklin, B.COM.GEOG., M.A.(BIRMINGHAM), Senior Lecturer, Geography Department, Victoria University of Wellington.