Story: West Coast region
Gold and coal have both been extracted from the West Coast, but their production histories have been very different. Gold output peaked during the mid-1860s gold rush, but had fallen away by the end of the decade. Since then output slowly declined, interrupted only by a dredging boom at the start of the 20th century. In the 1990s the gold price rose and mining increased. Coal production waned from the 1940s to the 1970s, as its use in shipping, rail and homes declined, but has surged since the 1980s, barring a recent interruption, on the back of contracts to export high-quality bituminous coal.
Source: Statistics New Zealand; Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives
About this item
Te Ara – The Encyclopedia of New Zealand
This item has been provided for private study purposes (such as school projects, family and local history research) and any published reproduction (print or electronic) may infringe copyright law. It is the responsibility of the user of any material to obtain clearance from the copyright holder.