Reefton

The rich veins of gold found in a quartz reef near the town led to its name, originally spelled "Reef Town". Two nicknames in use soon after it was founded were "Rest Town" and "Quartzopolis".{{Cite book|last=Reed|first=A. W.|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/49290681|title=The Reed dictionary of New Zealand place names|publisher=Reed|year=1979|isbn=0-7900-0761-4|edition=2002|location=Auckland [N.Z.]|pages=433|oclc=49290681}} The main street, Broadway, was named after West Coast magistrate Charles Broad. The nearby Wealth of Nations mine was named after Adam Smith's book because the gold been discovered by another Adam Smith (no relation).

• 1866 – Alluvial gold discovered in the Īnangahua Valley
• 1870 – Quartz reefs discovered at Reefton
• 1872 – Reefton Hospital opened
• 1886 – Reefton School of Mines opened
• 1888 – Town electricity supply commenced
• 1892 – Railway line opened
• 1908 – Rail line to Cronadun opened
• 1912 – Mine workers locked out"[https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/MW19120614.2.34 The Reefton lockout]," Maoriland Worker, 14 June 1912. Archived at paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. Retrieved 29 March 2018.
• 1967 – Rail passenger services ceased

File:Progress Mines of New Zealand Limited, Crushington.jpg)]]

Alluvial gold was first discovered near the town in 1866; the major discovery of gold in quartz reefs was made in 1870 and gold was being extracted by 1872. Mining from quartz reefs only took place at Reefton and Lyell.

An earlier settlement, known as Ross Town, had been established on the opposite bank of the Inangahua River around 1870, but most businesses shifted across the river in 1871 to be nearer the quartz mining. There were mines at nearby locations such as Waiuta and Blacks Point.

There was a downturn in the industry in the 1880s due to lack of money to develop deeper mines. Consolidated Goldfields New Zealand formed in 1896 and ran several mines.{{Cite book|url=http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-Cyc05Cycl-t1-body1-d1-d2-d57.html|title=The Cyclopedia of New Zealand [Nelson, Marlborough & Westland Provincial Districts]|publisher=Cyclopedia Company Limited|year=1906|location=Christchurch|chapter=Reefton|via=NZETC}} Technology was modernised and the Reefton School of Mines opened in 1887 to apply more scientific knowledge to mining. Blackwater mine operated from 1908 until 1951, when a shaft collapsed. It reopened as Snowy River mine in December 2020 and employed 60 staff, who had dug {{Convert|9|km|abbr=on}} of tunnels by 2024, with plans for further expansion.{{Cite web |date=2024-01-18 |title=Australian miner buying Reefton mine |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/business/507029/australian-miner-buying-reefton-mine |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=RNZ |language=en-nz}} Globe Progress mine produced {{Convert|610000|oz|tonne|abbr=}} of gold as an opencast pit from 2007 to 2016.{{Cite web |title=Reefton Restoration Project – OceanaGold |url=https://oceanagold.com/operation/closure/reefton-restoration-project/ |access-date=2024-03-08 |language=en-AU}}

In 1888 Reefton became the first town in New Zealand to receive electricity,{{cite book |title=New Zealand Historical Atlas |date=1997 |editor-last=McKinnon |editor-first=Malcolm |publisher=David Bateman |at=Plate 88 }} the work of Walter Prince,{{cite web|url=http://www.ipenz.org.nz/heritage/itemdetail.cfm?itemid=2096|title=Reefton Power Station|publisher=Engineering Heritage New Zealand|access-date=29 June 2016}} and its streets were lit by commercial electricity generated by the Reefton Power Station. The power station was demolished in 1961 but the Reefton Power House Charitable Trust Inc has raised $4.5 million for a restructure project, and work started on buildings and a {{convert|1.8|km}} water race in 2019.{{Cite web|date=2019-11-15|title=Power to the People|url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/countrylife/audio/2018722387/power-to-the-people|access-date=2020-09-12|website=RNZ |language=en-nz}}

Located in the Inangahua Valley at an altitude of 194m, Reefton falls under the Köppen-Geiger climate classification of Cfb (Oceanic), though the town's sheltered inland location lends its climate less maritime influence than coastal areas; as such, Reefton has recorded both the extreme highest temperature of 33.7 °C (92.7 °F) and the extreme lowest temperature of -8.5 °C (16.7 °F) in the West Coast region. At an average temperature of 17.4 °C (63.3 °F), February is the warmest month. July is the coldest month, at 5.4 °C (41.7 °F). Reefton's average annual temperature is 11.7 °C. Due to the town's inland location, summer afternoons are often considerably warmer in Reefton than coastal locations such as Greymouth or Westport, and it is not uncommon for winter mornings to be several degrees colder; nightly inversions of temperature are common due to the local geography, which encourages frequent periods of calm air. An average of 24 days per year will exceed 25 °C (77 °F); during an average winter, Reefton can expect to see 46 days of air frost and 61 days of ground frost. The Reefton area is the driest in the West Coast; this is largely due to the rain-shadow effect of the Paparoa Range.

{{Weather box|width=auto

|metric first=y

|single line=y

|collapsed =

|location = Reefton (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1960–present)

| Jan record high C = 33.7

| Feb record high C = 33.5

| Mar record high C = 30.1

| Apr record high C = 25.6

| May record high C = 22.1

| Jun record high C = 19.0

| Jul record high C = 18.9

| Aug record high C = 19.4

| Sep record high C = 24.8

| Oct record high C = 26.2

| Nov record high C = 30.9

| Dec record high C = 32.2

| year record high C = 33.7

|Jan high C = 23.4

|Feb high C = 23.6

|Mar high C = 21.2

|Apr high C = 17.4

|May high C = 13.7

|Jun high C = 10.5

|Jul high C = 10.2

|Aug high C = 12.4

|Sep high C = 14.9

|Oct high C = 16.7

|Nov high C = 19.0

|Dec high C = 21.5

| year high C =

|Jan mean C = 17.3

|Feb mean C = 17.4

|Mar mean C = 15.2

|Apr mean C = 12.1

|May mean C = 9.1

|Jun mean C = 6.2

|Jul mean C = 5.4

|Aug mean C = 7.4

|Sep mean C = 9.6

|Oct mean C = 11.4

|Nov mean C = 13.4

|Dec mean C = 15.9

| year mean C =

|Jan low C = 11.2

|Feb low C = 11.2

|Mar low C = 9.2

|Apr low C = 6.9

|May low C = 4.5

|Jun low C = 2.0

|Jul low C = 0.7

|Aug low C = 2.3

|Sep low C = 4.3

|Oct low C = 6.1

|Nov low C = 7.8

|Dec low C = 10.3

| year low C =

|Jan record low C = 0.7

|Feb record low C = 0.5

|Mar record low C = -0.5

|Apr record low C = -3.5

|May record low C = -6.1

|Jun record low C = -8.0

|Jul record low C = -8.5

|Aug record low C = -7.0

|Sep record low C = -5.0

|Oct record low C = -3.9

|Nov record low C = -3.0

|Dec record low C = -0.1

|year record low C = -8.5

|rain colour = green

|Jan rain mm = 138.6

|Feb rain mm = 101.8

|Mar rain mm = 108.6

|Apr rain mm = 143.0

|May rain mm = 170.8

|Jun rain mm = 189.7

|Jul rain mm = 161.8

|Aug rain mm = 179.1

|Sep rain mm = 176.6

|Oct rain mm = 182.1

|Nov rain mm = 149.7

|Dec rain mm = 162.4

|year rain mm =

|Jan sun = 223.3

|Feb sun = 195.1

|Mar sun = 174.9

|Apr sun = 129.4

|May sun = 89.6

|Jun sun = 70.7

|Jul sun = 90.8

|Aug sun = 113.8

|Sep sun = 147.6

|Oct sun = 157.2

|Nov sun = 197.9

|Dec sun = 204.9

|year sun =

|source 1 = NIWA

{{cite web

|url = http://cliflo.niwa.co.nz

|title = CliFlo – National Climate Database : Reefton Ews

|publisher = NIWA

|access-date = 19 May 2024}}{{cite web

|url = https://cliflo.niwa.co.nz/

|title = CliFlo -The National Climate Database (Agent number: 3925)

|publisher = NIWA

|access-date = 20 Jul 2024}}

}}

Reefton covers {{Convert|2.63|km2||abbr=on}}{{Cite web|title=ArcGIS Web Application|url=https://statsnz.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=6f49867abe464f86ac7526552fe19787| access-date=3 August 2023|website=statsnz.maps.arcgis.com}} and had an estimated population of {{NZ population data 2023 SA2|Reefton|y}} as of {{NZ population data 2023 SA2|||y|y||,}} with a population density of {{Decimals|{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2023 SA2|Reefton|y}}|R}}/2.63|0}} people per km².

{{historical populations

| title = Population of Reefton

| footnote = Population counts from the New Zealand census. Populations before 2006 may use slightly different boundaries.

|align = left

|1996{{Cite web |url=http://www2.stats.govt.nz/domino/external/web/commprofiles.nsf/htmldocs/Reefton+Urban+Area+Community+Profile |title=Reefton Urban Area Community Profile(published) |access-date=13 April 2016 |archive-date=8 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160508033440/http://www2.stats.govt.nz/domino/external/web/commprofiles.nsf/htmldocs/Reefton+Urban+Area+Community+Profile |url-status=dead }}

| 1,044

|2001

| 987

|2006

| 981

|2013

| 1,056

|2018

| 927

|percentages=pagr

}}

Reefton had a population of 927 at the 2018 New Zealand census, a decrease of 129 people (−12.2%) since the 2013 census, and a decrease of 54 people (−5.5%) since the 2006 census. There were 447 households, comprising 471 males and 456 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.03 males per female. The median age was 51.9 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 132 people (14.2%) aged under 15 years, 120 (12.9%) aged 15 to 29, 453 (48.9%) aged 30 to 64, and 222 (23.9%) aged 65 or older.

Ethnicities were 90.0% European/Pākehā, 13.3% Māori, 1.0% Pasifika, 2.9% Asian, and 2.6% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.

The percentage of people born overseas was 11.3, compared with 27.1% nationally.

Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 53.1% had no religion, 32.0% were Christian, 0.6% had Māori religious beliefs, 0.3% were Muslim and 1.3% had other religions.

Of those at least 15 years old, 63 (7.9%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 246 (30.9%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $22,900, compared with $31,800 nationally. 78 people (9.8%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 306 (38.5%) people were employed full-time, 117 (14.7%) were part-time, and 24 (3.0%) were unemployed.{{NZ census 2018|Reefton (309800)|reefton|Reefton}}

Gold mining recommenced in 2007 when Oceana Gold opened a new mine.{{Cite web|last=Nathan|first=Simon|date=2009|title=Reefton|url=https://teara.govt.nz/en/west-coast-places/page-5|url-status=|access-date=2021-04-08|website=teara.govt.nz|language=en}} In 2013 it employed 260 people.{{Cite web|date=2013-05-27|title=OceanaGold reviews Reefton mining|url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/8723169/OceanaGold-reviews-Reefton-mining|access-date=2021-04-08|website=Stuff|language=en}} The mine closed in 2016 and Oceana Gold has undertaken an environmental rehabilitation programme at the site.{{Cite web|date=2021-03-06|title=High praise from DOC for Aussie goldminer's Reefton project|url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/ldr/437790/high-praise-from-doc-for-aussie-goldminer-s-reefton-project|access-date=2021-04-08|website=RNZ |language=en-nz}}

A new gold mine is planned to open in 2024, it is expected to employ 100 people.{{Cite web|date=2020-08-07|title=New Reefton gold mine promises to provide 'many opportunities' for locals|url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/122380122/new-reefton-gold-mine-promises-to-provide-many-opportunities-for-locals|access-date=2020-08-10|website=Stuff|language=en}}{{Cite web|date=2019-12-13|title=Reefton going for gold again|url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/405469/reefton-going-for-gold-again|access-date=2021-04-08|website=RNZ |language=en-nz}}

Other industries in the town are coal mining, forestry, tourism and servicing the farming industry.

Reefton is located at the intersection of State Highway 7 and State Highway 69.

Reefton is located on the Stillwater–Westport Line railway, which diverges from the Midland Line in Stillwater. On 29 February 1892, the line was opened to Reefton, but it terminated on the southern bank of the Inangahua River opposite the town. Early in the 20th century, a bridge was built across the river and the present-day station established in Reefton. The line was opened beyond Reefton to Cronadun in 1908, but it was not until 5 December 1943 that the line officially became a through route to Westport, though trains had been operating the length of the line since July 1942. On 3 August 1936, a railcar passenger service began operating in the morning between Hokitika and Reefton utilising small Leyland diesel railcars, but low patronage meant this service ceased to operate all the way to Reefton in August 1938. In the early 1940s, much larger Vulcan railcars were introduced to New Zealand and they provided two services to Reefton: one local service from Greymouth that terminated in Reefton, and a service that ran between Westport and Stillwater to connect with the West Coast Express. In 1967, all passenger services through Reefton ceased. Today, the primary traffic on the railway is coal, with multiple coal trains operating daily.

The first state school in Reefton was founded in 1878, and there were once 24 schools in the area.{{cite web |url= http://hometown.co.nz/downloads/School%20Closures%20.pdf |title=District School Reunion |year=2003 |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100526011359/http://hometown.co.nz/downloads/School%20Closures%20.pdf|archive-date=2010-05-26}}

Reefton Area School is a composite (years 1–13) school with a roll of {{NZ school roll data|496|y}} as of {{NZ school roll data|||y|y||.}}{{TKI|496|Reefton Area School}} It was formed by the merger of Reefton School and Inangahua College (earlier called Reefton District High School) in 2004.{{cite web|url=http://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/statistics/schooling/directories/?a=7771|title=School Mergers, Closures and New Schools|year=2004|format=XLS|publisher=Education Counts}}

Sacred Heart School is a full primary (years 1–8) school with a roll of {{NZ school roll data|3219|y}}.{{TKI|3219|Sacred Heart School}} It is a state integrated Catholic school.{{cite web

| url = http://ero.govt.nz/institution/3219/sacred-heart-school-reefton

| title=Education Review Report: Sacred Heart School (Reefton)

| date=December 2007

| publisher=Education Review Office}} Both schools are coeducational.

The first newspaper to be printed in Reefton was the Inangahua Herald and New Zealand Miner, which began as a twice-weekly paper in February 1872, its joint owner being Joseph Ivess,{{Cite web|date=5 Feb 1872|title=GREY RIVER ARGUS|url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/GRA18720205.2.7|url-status=|access-date=2021-08-21|website=paperspast.natlib.govt.nz}} who went on to found many other newspapers.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=1993|title=Ivess, Joseph|url=https://teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/2i3/ivess-joseph|url-status=|access-date=2021-08-21|website=teara.govt.nz|language=en}} It was appearing three times a week by 1874 and became a daily in 1894. Its owner and editor from 1909 was Maud L. G. Beresford Wilkinson.{{Cite book|last=Kay|first=Rupert A.|title=Westland's Golden Century 1860–1960|publisher=Westland Centennial Council|year=1960|isbn=|location=Christchurch|pages=107|chapter=Westland's early newspapers}}

Its main rival, the Inangahua Times, was established by William Joseph Potts in 1875.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Inangahua Times|url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/inangahua-times|url-status=|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2021-02-15|website=Papers Past}} Potts was editor of Ahaura's Grey Valley Times in 1873, and in 1874 he started the short-lived Reefton Courier and Inangahua Advertiser which survived only to the end of the year, and was the predecessor of the Times. The Times initially appeared three times a week, but by 1891 was a daily. Potts owned the Times until his death in 1901, and his wife Mary Potts was editor from 1897 to 1905.{{Cite book|last=Latham|first=Darrell|title=Reefs of Gold|publisher=Pegasus|year=1984|isbn=0-908568-12-6|location=Christchurch|pages=264}}

For a short time Reefton, with a population of just 2000 and a circulation area of 4648, was home to three competing daily papers: the third, the Reefton Guardian, was first published in 1888, and was bought out by the Inangahua Times in 1894. All three papers were served for more than fifty years by the compositor, editor, and publisher James Noble, who started at the Guardian and eventually became editor and publisher of the Times. The Herald succumbed to the Depression in 1936 and merged with the Times in 1936. After James Noble the Times was run by Ernest Nicholson until it ceased publication on 6 June 1942, a casualty of war shortages. It was revived in 1946 by Reefton's Presbyterian minister Rev. C. R. (Bob) Sprackett as the Inangahua-Murchison Times, printed in Greymouth, which survived as a weekly until 1956.

Locally received radio stations include repeaters of both The Hits from Greymouth and Coast FM from Westport. The Greymouth Star newspaper is also received daily in the town.

{{maincat|People from Reefton}}

• Marty Banks – rugby union player, born and grew up in Reefton
• Amy Castle – museum curator and entomologist, born in Reefton
• Myra Cohen – barber, dental assistant, entertainer and milliner{{DNZB|title=Myra Cohen|first= Fiona|last= McKergow|id=3c27|accessdate=23 April 2017}}
• Elisabeth Croll – anthropologist, born in Reefton
• Patrick Stanley Vaughan Heenan, traitor
• Phill Jones – basketball player, grew up in Reefton
• Melanie Nolan – labour and gender historian, born in Reefton
• Edward Smyrk – cricketer, born in Reefton

File:TWC Reefton • Stewart Nimmo • MRD 35.jpg|Broadway

File:Reefton Court House 002.JPG|Reefton Court House

File:Reefton Oddfellows Hall 002.JPG|Reefton Oddfellows Hall

File:Reefton Tearooms.JPG|Broadway Tearooms & Bakery

File:Reefton Roman Catholic Church 002.JPG|Reefton Roman Catholic Church

File:Old Knox Church, Reefton Front.jpg|Old Knox Church

File:Blacks Point Museum MRD 03.jpg|Blacks Point Museum

File:Reefton Masonic Building 001.JPG|Reefton Masonic building

File:2. Reefton Distilling Co + Model A.jpg|Reefton Distilling Co.

File:Reefton_School_of_Mines.JPG|Reefton School of Mines

File:Reefton Oddfellows Hall interior MRD 03.jpg

File:Reefton Oddfellows Hall interior MRD 01.jpg

File:Reefton Oddfellows Hall interior MRD 02.jpg|Roll of members

{{Reflist}}

{{Commons category|Reefton, New Zealand}}

{{Wikivoyage}}

• [http://www.reefton.co.nz/reefton/visitor-centre Reefton i-SITE Visitor Centre]
• [http://doc.govt.nz/templates/trackandwalk.aspx?id=36463 Department of Conservation] – Reefton short walks
• [http://www.ras.school.nz/ Reefton Area School]

{{Buller District}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Buller District

Category:Populated places in the West Coast Region

Category:West Coast Gold Rush

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