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Story: Waikato region

Waikato coal production, 1880–2007

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Waikato coal production, 1880–2007

Coal has been mined in Waikato since the 1870s. It is mostly sub-bituminous ‘brown’ coal, which is less valuable than the bituminous coking coal mined on the West Coast. Production increased steadily from the 1880s until 1960, fluctuating over the next 40 years in response to the market. The big increase since 2000 reflects demand from the nearby Huntly thermal power station.

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Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand

Source: Appendices to the Journal of the House of Representatives; Ministry for Economic Development. Statistics compiled by Simon Nathan

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How to cite this page

Nancy Swarbrick, Waikato region – Energy and forestry, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/graph/27145/waikato-coal-production-1880-2007 (accessed 11 June 2026).

Story by Nancy Swarbrick, published 26 May 2010, updated 1 July 2015.