Articles
Seddonville
The West Coast coalmining settlement of Seddonville, 50 kms north of Westport, was named in honour of the Liberal Premier Richard Seddon. It was also the site of an early experiment in state socialism – New Zealand's first state coal mine opened there in 1903.
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Page 2 – Coal is discovered
After John Rochfort discovered fragments of bituminous coal in a river north of Westport in 1859, the search was on for accessible coal seams that could be mined.
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Page 3 – Seddonville State Mine
Premier Richard Seddon decided that the best way to challenge the coal companies was to establish government-owned mines that would provide cheaper coal as well as setting
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Page 4 – Mining at Charming Creek
The block of coal discovered in the headwaters of Charming Creek created interest after the closure of the state mine.
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Page 5 – Hydraulic coal mining
There are major advantages to using hydraulic mining for coal, including the lack of dust as well as minimising the risk of explosions and fires.
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Page 6 – Decline of mining
After 1956 there was a sharp decline in the demand for coal as many customers changed to oil.
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Page 7 – Seddonville's rail heritage
The Ngakawau-Seddonville branch line was built solely for the transport of coal from mines near Seddonville to Westport harbour, where it was then transported around New
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Page 8 – Further information
This web feature was written by Simon Nathan and produced by the NZHistory.net.nz team.
Township on river flats in the lower reaches of the Mōkihinui River, 50 km north-east of Westport. New Zealand’s first state coal mine was opened at Seddonville in 1903, but closed in 1914 because of mining difficulties. A number of private mines worked coal during the 20th century, but mining has now ceased.
