66-739: Denniston is a small settlement, 15 kilometres (9 miles) east of Westport , on the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It is situated on the Denniston Plateau , 600 metres (2,000 ft) above sea level in the Papahaua Ranges . It is named for R. B. Denniston, manager of the first major mine to open on the West Coast in the 1870s. During the first few decades of the 20th century, up to 1400 people lived in
132-457: A 1-kilometre (0.62-mile) long spur siding where the coal carried by truck from the bins at Brakehead was transferred into railway wagons. A few months later, in 1968, the aerial ropeway from the mines also closed in favour of trucking of coal down the hill directly from the mines. In May 1968, the Inangahua earthquake caused much damage to the incline, making the closure irreversible. Thus, what
198-618: A NZ$ 500,000 scheme to assist farmers in Westport and the wider West Coast region with flood damage called "Task Force Green." In July 2022, Stuff reported that over 400 homes in Westport had not been fully repaired since the floods that struck the city in July 2021. Of the 563 flood damaged homes, just over 100 had fully completed their repairs. The Buller District Council and the West Coast Regional Council submitted
264-531: A NZ$ 54 million business case for the region which includes investing in flood walls, subsidising people to move from flood-prone areas, and investing in Westport's stormwater system. The Westport climate is strongly influenced by the high amount of precipitation from the Tasman Sea , with all months being rather wet on average. Despite very high annual rainfall, Westport is often prone to drought and conservation measures are sometimes triggered. While colder than
330-405: A common shaft, and the wire rope wound in opposite directions on each drum. So while one drum was letting the rope out and lowering a full wagon down the incline, the other drum was winding its rope in and pulling an empty wagon up the incline. Hydraulic pistons slowed the rotation of the winding drums to control the speed of the wagons. The Denniston Incline was actually two inclines. The higher of
396-699: A key role in the development of the union movement in New Zealand, and the country's first miner's union was formed at Denniston in 1884. A report to the coal industry in 1919 attributed much of the industrial unrest and dissatisfaction of the Deniston miners to their 'sordid' living conditions. Denniston had a communal recreation and sports ground, its own sports clubs and Returned Services Association, and churches included Presbyterian, Methodist, Anglican, Roman Catholic, and Salvation Army. There were five lodges (Masonic, Druids, Odd Fellows, Orange and Buffaloes). In
462-495: A large facility with seating for approximately 370 people and a stage for performing. The township also has a links-style, 18-hole, par-72 golf course. The course measures around 5,600 metres (18,400 ft) with medium to narrow fairways and small "target" greens. The Pulse Energy Recreation Centre (originally named the Solid Energy Centre), a sports complex, was opened on 18 April 2009. Te Taha o Te Awa Marae
528-514: A local tourist icon and one that is close to Westport, a group of mainly locals, The Friends of the Hill, seek to preserve Denniston's heritage and interpret it for the benefit of people visiting one of New Zealand's most famous coalfield settlements. The growth of interest in Denniston has been aided by The Denniston Rose , a historical novel by Jenny Pattrick , set in the 1880s at Denniston. Coal
594-429: A rate of 12 to 18 wagons per hour. The track gauge was the standard NZR track gauge of 3 ft 6 in ( 1,067 mm ). The railway wagons used on the incline were mainly the common "Q" class hopper wagons , the hoppers of which could be detached from their wagon bodies and lifted by wharf crane over the hold of a ship, and the bottom discharge doors of the wagons then opened manually to discharge coal into
660-410: A smaller boundary, covering 88.76 km (34.27 sq mi). Using that boundary, Westport Rural had a population of 1,260 at the 2018 New Zealand census , an increase of 30 people (2.4%) since the 2013 census , and an increase of 285 people (29.2%) since the 2006 census . There were 498 households, comprising 624 males and 639 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.98 males per female. The median age
726-483: A total of 516 metres (1,693 feet) in 1,670 metres (83 chains or 1.04 miles), with some sections having gradients steeper than 1 in 1.3. The short-lived Koranui Incline on the other side of the valley was higher, with a total fall of 700 metres (2,300 feet), and over twice as long as the Denniston Incline, with a length of 3.6 kilometres (2.2 miles). Wagons could be delivered from Denniston to Conns Creek at
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#1732790309766792-534: Is a full primary (years 1–8) school with a roll of 147. It is a state integrated Catholic school and has operated since at least 1882. All these schools are coeducational. The town's primary schools all have a decile rating of 4, and Buller High School has a decile rating of 3. School rolls are as of August 2024. Koranui Incline Too Many Requests If you report this error to the Wikimedia System Administrators, please include
858-432: Is a secondary (years 9–13) school with a roll of 349. The school celebrated its 75th anniversary in 1997 but also claims to have been operating for over 100 years, due to its connection to earlier secondary schooling in the district. Westport North School and Westport South School are full primary (years 1–8) schools with rolls of 245 and 236, respectively. The schools were founded in 1942 and 1941 St Canice's School
924-504: Is a town in the West Coast region of the South Island of New Zealand. Established in 1861, it is the oldest European settlement on the West Coast. Originally named Buller , it is on the right bank and at the mouth of the Buller River , close by the prominent headland of Cape Foulwind . It is connected via State Highway 6 with Greymouth , 100 kilometres (62 mi) to the south, and with Nelson 222 kilometres (138 mi) in
990-560: Is also located nearby. Westport is served by State Highway 67 , and the 8.9 km spur State Highway 67A to Carters Beach and Cape Foulwind which terminates at the former Holcim cement plant location. The Holcim company managed the day-to-day operations of Westport's port until ceasing operations in the district, using it to ship their cement product to market, for example to the Port of Onehunga in Auckland . The first railway of
1056-400: Is based at Westport. It is a marae (tribal meeting ground) of Ngāti Apa ki te Rā Tō and its Pūaha Te Rangi hapū, and includes a wharenui (meeting house), also called Te Taha o te Awa. The Coaltown Museum , opened in 2013, illustrates the area's local history. Sue Thomson Casey Memorial Library , Buller District's library, is located on Palmerston Street. Buller High School
1122-922: Is still mined on the Denniston Plateau, at a small scale, and 9 kilometres (5.6 miles) to the north at the Stockton Mine near Millerton . In 2010, Bathurst Resources announced the Escarpment Mine Project to mine for coal on the Denniston Plateau, a move strongly opposed by environmentalists. In March 2013 the Environment Court gave Bathurst the go-ahead, though groups such as Forest & Bird vowed to continue fighting. Information panels: Images: Video: 41°44′S 171°48′E / 41.733°S 171.800°E / -41.733; 171.800 Westport, New Zealand Westport ( Māori : Kawatiri )
1188-480: The 2006 census . There were 1,998 households, comprising 2,214 males and 2,172 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.02 males per female, with 729 people (16.6%) aged under 15 years, 651 (14.8%) aged 15 to 29, 1,911 (43.5%) aged 30 to 64, and 1,092 (24.9%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 91.9% European/ Pākehā , 12.1% Māori , 1.8% Pasifika , 2.7% Asian , and 1.6% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity. The percentage of people born overseas
1254-565: The Buller District had heavy rain and significant flooding, which damaged homes, infrastructure, farms, and roads. Residents were also evacuated. On 10 February, a state of emergency was declared in the Buller District. Minister of Rural Affairs Damien O'Connor described the February flooding in Westport as "one of the worst he had seen" and attributed it to climate change. On 23 February, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced
1320-664: The Denniston Incline were taken over by the New Zealand State Mines Department in 1948. The Denniston Incline began operation in April 1880. It was a self-acting ropeway that used gravity to lower 12.5 ton gross laden weight New Zealand Railways' coal wagons one at a time from Brakehead, at Denniston, at the top to Conns Creek below. Each descending wagon hauled an empty one up the incline by means of wire ropes, each wagon attached to its own rope and brake drum. The two drums were mounted beside each other on
1386-581: The Denniston Incline, and the roperoads from the mines to the top of the incline. To raise additional capital to develop the mines further, the Westport Colliery Company was reformed into the Westport Coal Company in 1881. The company also operated mines in other places on the West Coast, including Millerton , and by 1905, the company was by far the largest coal producer in New Zealand. The Westport Coal Company's mines and
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#17327903097661452-418: The Denniston Plateau, and the Denniston Incline itself, existed solely to extract coal from the plateau. Living conditions at Denniston were harsh; the rocky, windswept plateau is often immersed in cloud, receives a high annual rainfall, and very low temperatures are common. Once good road access to the plateau was established and the demand for coal declined, the townships shrank – and disappeared altogether once
1518-467: The Ironbridge Mine led to the establishment of the settlement known as Burnett's Face, about 2 kilometres southeast from Denniston. It was initially a cluster of tents, but by 1891 there were wooden cottages, a school, two hotels, a butchery, a bakery, several stores, two halls, and two billiard saloons. Its main road was the constantly running roperoad skipway linking the mine with the bins at
1584-602: The Ironbrook Mine and on to the Coalbrookdale Mine—a distance of about 2.4 kilometres (1.5 miles). The roperoad system was renewed along a partly new alignment between 1900 and 1904. (An image of one of these roperoads can be seen below in External links.) In 1952, a monocable aerial ropeway 4 kilometres (2.5 miles) in length was commissioned (with buckets carrying coal suspended from the rope) to carry coal from
1650-610: The New Zealand Heritage List, and considered to have special or outstanding historical or cultural significance or value. The Denniston Incline and the key historical areas of the plateau are now managed by the New Zealand Department of Conservation. At Brakehead, replicas have been built of some of the former trackwork and three original Q wagons placed on the site. With recognition of the historic nature of Denniston and its increasing status as
1716-517: The area in 1864 ran from Westport 18 kilometres (11 mi) to the coal fields, most of them north of town. The first section of railway from Westport to Fairdown via Sergeants Hill opened on 31 December 1875; this line ultimately reached Seddonville in 1895 and was known as the Seddonville Branch . From this beginning, an isolated network of branch lines was developed: a Westport-Inangahua branch line of about 12 miles (19 km)
1782-490: The area include Cape Foulwind , Tauranga Bay with its large fur seal colony, and fine surfing beaches. The opening of the Old Ghost Road which runs between Lyell and Seddonville to the north of Westport has seen an explosion in the number of mountain bikers visiting the area. The Kawatiri Coastal Trail is under development between Westport, Carters Beach , Cape Foulwind , and Charleston. The Pūwaha Section of
1848-510: The area until cessation around 1999. The Holcim company had a large cement plant in the southwest side of town until its closure on 30 June 2016. Westport is also home to EPIC Westport an innovation hub, which houses software developers and business startups. A daily local newspaper is published in Westport, the Westport News . The Westport News building also houses coast-wide local radio station Coast FM . Tourist attracts in
1914-517: The area, and for example, led to large areas of the coastal areas (covered by sediment from the river) being dredged for the valuable mineral, the area soon became much more famous for coal mining , still a dominant concern in the region today. A coal mining company was formed in 1878 called the Westport Colliery Company Ltd, and then became The Westport Coal Company in 1881 when a group of Dunedin businessmen purchased
1980-521: The census's question about religious affiliation, 55.7% had no religion, 32.9% were Christian , 0.7% had Māori religious beliefs , 0.5% were Hindu , 0.5% were Buddhist and 1.2% had other religions. Of those at least 15 years old, 129 (12.8%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 285 (28.2%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $ 24,900, compared with $ 31,800 nationally. 144 people (14.2%) earned over $ 70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15
2046-445: The days before social welfare, in an isolated community on low hourly wages, churches, unions, friendly societies and lodges provided important security for their members. Miners had formed their own Medical Association in 1883 (a doctor was contracted to visit Denniston twice a week) and an Accident and Relief Fund Association was formed in 1890. A hospital, which opened in 1910 – paid for by subscriptions, levies and fundraising efforts –
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2112-509: The evacuation of about 2,000 people, roughly half of the town's 4,600 residents. The flood caused millions of dollars in damages and damaged hundreds of homes in Westport. 563 homes were damaged with 70 homes being red stickered and 393 homes being yellow stickered. 23% of the town's 983 dwellings required repairs. By mid-October 2021, 450 homes remained uninhabitable or damaged. 140 remained in temporary accommodation including cabins, motels, or relatives' homes. In February 2022, Westport and
2178-681: The head of the Denniston Incline . By the 1950s, little remained of the settlement. Another township, Coalbrookdale, stretched for several hundred metres along sides of the roperoad in the lower Coalbrookdale Valley, southwest of Burnett's Face. There were about 21 buildings in Coalbrookdale in 1891, and the population peaked in 1896 when there were 165 people living in the valley. There was a licensed hotel from 1894 to c.1921. The last permanent resident departed in 1956. The community at Denniston served no other purpose than to support
2244-403: The incline and mines closed. A former schoolhouse, now used as a museum, is one of the few buildings remaining. Very few people now live on the plateau but the area is of increasing interest to tourists interested in its history. Future opencast mining is a possibility. The setting and history of Denniston is similar to that of Millerton , located on a similar plateau 12 kilometres (7.5 miles) to
2310-620: The incline carried an estimated 12.6 million tons of coal during its life. Some mining continued and the Escarpment Mine operated from 1964 to 1982. There were three main townships on the Denniston Plateau – Denniston, Burnett's Face, and Coalbrookdale. There were no roads connecting the townships, and everyone walked alongside the roperoads to move about. The population of the plateau as a whole peaked in 1911, at just over 1400 inhabitants (the population of Denniston township peaked later, in 1926). The first settlement, known as "The Camp",
2376-409: The inclines was called the 'Company Side', as that was the side the company offices were located on; the northern side of the inclines was called the 'Donkey Side'. The system did not always function as intended and collisions, derailments and runaways were not unknown. The remains of several wrecked wagons still lie beside, or even some distance from, the incline formation. The Denniston incline fell
2442-401: The inner rail shared by both tracks), while below the midsection of each incline (where wagons passed each other) the two sets of track were 'interwoven'. Each side of the inclines alternately had wagons ascending and descending – otherwise the ropes would get crossed over. (An image of a full wagon descending the upper part of one incline can be seen below in External links.) The southern side of
2508-527: The mines. The coal fields were at Coalbrookdale ( Denniston ) and Granity Creek ( Millerton ) and coal was transported to the Westport harbour to be shipped out. By 1905 The Westport Coal Company was New Zealand's largest coal producer. Westport was administrated as part of the Nelson Province from 1853 to 1876. Westport has been damaged by several earthquakes, the worst the 1929 Murchison earthquake , in which several buildings collapsed, including
2574-436: The more northern parts of New Zealand, average temperature changes over the year are not extreme. Westport covers 11.53 km (4.45 sq mi) and had an estimated population of 4,680 as of June 2024, with a population density of 406 people per km . Westport had a population of 4,389 at the 2018 New Zealand census , a decrease of 366 people (−7.7%) since the 2013 census , and a decrease of 120 people (−2.7%) since
2640-470: The mouth of the Buller River (Kawatiri) , it is clear that Māori were living close to Westport by the early 14th century. Māori mostly lived in coastal areas, though they explored the mountains for pounamu (jade or greenstone), which they then traded with other iwi . The first wave of European settlers came to Westport in 1861 as gold miners , and the first European vessel said to have entered
2706-447: The new Whareata and Sullivan mines to Brakehead, and the roperoad was abandoned. The Coalbrookdale and Ironbridge mines had reached the end of their economic lives and closed in 1944 and 1945 respectively; Banbury Mine had closed in 1890. The Westport Coal Company's coal production from the Denniston Plateau increased to an annual peak in 1910, when 464 men working underground produced 348,335 tons of coal. Production then declined. In all,
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2772-550: The north. The Westport Colliery Company, predecessor to the Westport Coal Company, was formed in 1878 to mine the high quality coal on the Mount Rochfort Plateau, commonly known as the Denniston Plateau. To access the coal, the company extended the nearby Wellington Coal Company's branch railway on the south bank of the Waimangaroa River by 1.1 kilometres (0.68 miles) to Conns Creek , and constructed
2838-567: The northeast, via the Buller Gorge . The population of the Westport urban area was 4,680 as of June 2024. The Buller District had a population of 10,500. The Māori language name for the river and the region is Kawatiri, meaning deep and swift. The town is thought to have been named after Westport, County Mayo in Ireland , although the choice of name was no doubt also guided by its location. From an archaeological excavation site, near
2904-406: The operations of the coal mines and the incline. Once a usable road was put through from Waimangaroa to the plateau, people started to drift away from the plateau to the warmer climate of Waimangaroa or Westport below. By the 1960s, demand for coal was falling and the Denniston Incline closed on 16 August 1967. The Conns Creek branch, which connected to the foot of the incline, was cut back to become
2970-533: The plateau and incline area amongst the scrub vegetation. The open-cast Escarpment Mine Project was established by Bathurst Resources in an area of 200 hectares of conservation land on the southern Denniston Plateau. Mining commenced in 2014, but was suspended in 2016 in response to the closure in June of the Holcim cement works at Cape Foulwind and a decline in global prices for hard coking coal. The townships of
3036-543: The post office tower. The town now has a number of Art Deco buildings that were constructed after the earthquake, for example the Clock Tower Chambers . Westport and the Buller District have had several floods since 1846. In January 1868, heavy rain led to flooding, which destroyed two wharves. The town was flooded again in October and November 1926, and yet again in 1970, 2012, and 2015. In 2018, Westport
3102-628: The remaining workers, the provision of buses enabled them and their families to live in more pleasant conditions down on the coastal plain. The school, last shop, and last hotel (the Red Dog Saloon, owned by Johnny Cotter) closed in the 1960s, and the Post Office closed in 1971. The last lodge, the Buffaloes Lodge, closed in 1996 – though by then it had relocated from Denniston to the former Waimangaroa RSA rooms. The development of
3168-486: The river was the sealing schooner Three Brothers in 1844, though other sealing vessels were recorded in the Cape Foulwind area in the 1820s. The 1880s saw many exploratory parties of geologists and surveyors combing the area for the presence of valuable resources and taking the measure of the land. Amongst them were Charles Heaphy , William Fox and Thomas Brunner . While gold brought initial interest to
3234-454: The ships' holds. (Two images of a crane lifting a hopper out of a wagon and over a ship's hold can be seen below in External links.) The mines on the Denniston Plateau included the Banbury, Ironbridge, Coalbrookdale, Whareatea, and Sullivan mines. The first mine was the Banbury, which began production in 1880. A double track 0.61-metre (2-foot) gauge 560-metre long horse tramway was built from
3300-461: The square water tanks that many houses had, are the main relics that can be seen. Most of the former building sites are empty and covered in low scrub and only a few buildings still stand. The former high school is occupied by the Friends of the Hill and is used as a museum and information centre. Other remaining buildings are now privately owned. Denniston is listed as a Category 1 Historic Place on
3366-545: The top of the incline to the Banbury Mine above the Waimangaroa Gorge to carry coal from the mine to the top of the incline. Later, horse-power was replaced by a steam engine-powered moving endless rope to which mine tubs were hooked by chains for their journeys to and from the bins at Brakehead. By 1889, the double track tramway (now called a roperoad) had been extended through and beyond the Banbury Mine, past
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#17327903097663432-488: The townships on the Denniston Plateau to service the large coal mines there. Coal was transported in railway wagons from the plateau via the Denniston Incline to Conns Creek , where steam locomotives of New Zealand Railways took coal trains to the port of Westport. The Denniston Incline closed in 1967. The plateau now has a population of fewer than 10 people, and virtually all the buildings and structures are gone, although many historical relics remain – scattered throughout
3498-555: The trail from Westport to Carters Beach was the first of nine sections to be built. It was officially opened on 6 December 2020. The remaining sections are expected to be completed by June 2022. Rafting and jetboating in the Buller Gorge are popular. Westport is a base for trips to Karamea and the Oparara Basin Arches with the only road access to the area running north from Westport. Paparoa National Park
3564-505: The tramway from the mine to the top of the incline. A bridle track was built between Waimangaroa and Denniston by 1885. Prior to this, the only access for people and goods had been to ride in coal wagons travelling at high speed up or down the incline. Settlement soon spread up onto the plateau itself, and by 1887, there were three hotels, a postal and telegraph office, four general stores, three butchers and three bakers in Denniston. Living conditions were squalid and visitors complained about
3630-520: The two began at Brakehead, and descended steeply to the appropriately named Middle Brake. Here wagons were disconnected from the first incline's rope, and placed on the rope of the second incline for a more gentle descent to Conns Creek, where the accumulated wagons would then be marshalled into trains before being taken to Westport. The drum from Middle Brake is now on display at Westport's Coaltown Museum. The upper part of each incline had essentially two sets of railway tracks side by side (three rails, with
3696-487: The unsanitary and 'smelly' nature of the township. The cottages were utilitarian small wooden buildings with roofs and chimneys of corrugated iron. There was no running water, no baths in houses, and toilets were tin sheds with cans that were emptied by night cart men. Large families were often confined to two-room huts for long periods during bad weather. There were no shrubs, flowers or gardens. Even after 20 years, these poor living conditions still prevailed. Denniston played
3762-476: Was 50.1 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 249 people (19.8%) aged under 15 years, 96 (7.6%) aged 15 to 29, 606 (48.1%) aged 30 to 64, and 306 (24.3%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 94.0% European/ Pākehā , 8.8% Māori , 0.7% Pasifika , 1.7% Asian , and 2.1% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity. The percentage of people born overseas was 9.0, compared with 27.1% nationally. Although some people chose not to answer
3828-560: Was 9.2, compared with 27.1% nationally. Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 56.3% had no religion, 33.6% were Christian , 0.3% had Māori religious beliefs , 0.5% were Hindu , 0.1% were Muslim , 0.3% were Buddhist and 1.5% had other religions. Of those at least 15 years old, 303 (8.3%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 1,179 (32.2%) people had no formal qualifications. 351 people (9.6%) earned over $ 70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15
3894-663: Was authorised by the Railways Authorisation Act, 1904. But the lines were not linked to the national network until the completion of the Stillwater–Westport Line through the Buller Gorge in 1942. Westport Airport is a small airport. It was formerly served twice daily on weekdays and daily in the weekend by Air New Zealand from Wellington , and prior to that, flights to Christchurch and Hokitika were also operated. The Air New Zealand service from Wellington service ceased in April 2015 and its place
3960-538: Was built in a central location to deal with emergencies from mines in all directions. Denniston did not have a cemetery as the ground was too hard; bodies were transported from Denniston to Waimangaroa for burial, initially down the Denniston Incline and later by road. The peak of population came in 1926, when there were 910 living in the township. During the 1932–35 Depression, and after World War 2, people began to move away from Denniston, with many houses being moved in sections for re-erection at Waimangaroa or Westport. For
4026-515: Was damaged by Cyclone Fehi during the 2017–18 South Pacific cyclone season . According to Land River Sea Consulting founder and river engineer Matthew Gardner, Westport is sited on a flood-prone catchment and climate change is causing water levels to rise. A West Coast Regional Council spokesperson expressed concern about the under-investment in flood protection including dredging and river management work in Westport. In July 2021, wet weather throughout New Zealand caused more flooding, leading to
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#17327903097664092-423: Was located on a rock ledge above the Waimangaroa River. It was built below the level of the plateau between two escarpments for protection from relentless winds. The first workers developed the Banbury Mine, but many did not stay long owing to the inhospitable conditions. However, by 1883 there were about a hundred residents, a school, and a brass band. The company's offices were above The Camp and Brakehead, alongside
4158-537: Was once described as the "Eighth Wonder of the World" by locals, faded into history. Little remains of the Incline or the townships on the plateau but relics can be found throughout the area. Middle Brake is one of the most intact industrial areas remaining because its inaccessibility resulted in much equipment being left on site. At Brakehead and Denniston township, the main street grid, building foundations, chimneys, and
4224-499: Was taken by Sounds Air . The town used to have one cinema/theatre, the St James Theatre, able to seat 424 patrons for film screenings, theatre productions or other activities. After being found structurally unsound, the theatre had to be demolished. A new theatre has since opened. The NBS theatre has two movie theatres, one which seats 55 people and a boutique theatre that seats approximately 20 people. This theatre also has
4290-412: Was that 1,398 (38.2%) people were employed full-time, 561 (15.3%) were part-time, and 159 (4.3%) were unemployed. Westport Rural surrounds Westport on the west, south and east, and includes Carters Beach . It covers 90.06 km (34.77 sq mi) and had an estimated population of 1,390 as of June 2024, with a population density of 15 people per km . Before the 2023 census, Westport Rural had
4356-537: Was that 441 (43.6%) people were employed full-time, 192 (19.0%) were part-time, and 21 (2.1%) were unemployed. Economic activity is based around fishing , coal mining and dairy farming . Historically, gold mining was a major industry, and coal mining was much more extensive than today (especially in terms of employment numbers). However, the region still is home to New Zealand's largest opencast mining operation in Stockton . Some native forest logging occurred in
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