Reefton facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Reefton
Broadway
Country	New Zealand
Region	West Coast
District	Buller District
Ward	Inangahua
Electorates	West Coast-Tasman Te Tai Tonga
Population  (2018)
• Total	927

Reefton is a small town in the West Coast region of New Zealand, some 80 km northeast of Greymouth, in the Inangahua River valley. Ahaura is 44 km south-west of Reefton, Inangahua Junction is 34 km to the north, Maruia is 63 km to the east, and the Lewis Pass is 66 km to the south-east.

In 1888, it was the first town in New Zealand and the Southern Hemisphere to be lit by electricity, generated by the Reefton Power Station. Reefton was a thriving gold mining town in the late 19th century, and gold mining lasted from the 1870s to the 1950s. Its economy is based on tourism, forestry, coal mining and farming.

Reefton is home to the Inangahua County Library.

Timeline

• 1866 – Gold discovered
• 1888 – Town electricity
• 1892 – Railway line opened
• 1908 – Line to Cronadun opened
• 1912 – Reefton "lock out"
• 1967 – Rail passenger services ceased

Historical Population of Reefton
Census	Pop.	±%
1996	1,044
2001	987	5.5%
2006	951	3.6%
2013	1,026	7.9%

Economy

Gold mining recommenced in 2007 when Oceana Gold opened a new mine. In 2013 it employed 260 people. The mine closed in 2016 and Oceana Gold has undertaken an environmental rehabilitation programme at the site.

A new gold mine is planned to open in 2024, it is expected to employ 100 people.

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

Demographics

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. There were 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% Pacific peoples, 2.9% Asian, and 2.6% other ethnicities (totals add to more than 100% since people could identify with multiple ethnicities).

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

Although some people objected to giving their religion, 53.1% had no religion, 32.0% were Christian, 0.3% were Muslim and 1.9% had other religions.

Of those at least 15 years old, 63 (7.9%) people had a bachelor or higher degree, and 246 (30.9%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $22,900, compared with $31,800 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.

Education

The first state school in Reefton was founded in 1878, and there were once 24 schools in the area.

Reefton Area School is a composite (years 1–13) school with a roll of 150 as of April 2023. It was formed by the merger of Reefton School and Inangahua College (earlier called Reefton District High School) in 2004.

Sacred Heart School is a full primary (years 1–8) school with a roll of 25. It is a state integrated Catholic school. Both schools are coeducational.

Transport

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

Rail

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.

Notable people

• Marty Banks – rugby union player, born and grew up in Reefton
• Amy Castle – museum curator and entomologist, born in Reefton
• Elisabeth Croll – anthropologist, born in Reefton
• Phill Jones – basketball player, grew up in Reefton
• Melanie Nolan – labour and gender historian, born in Reefton
• Edward Smyrk – cricketer, born in Reefton

Images for kids

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  Crushington gold battery, 1890 (U.S. English, Stamp mill)

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  Broadway

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  Reefton Court House

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  Reefton Oddfellows Hall

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  Broadway Tearooms & Bakery

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  Reefton Roman Catholic Church

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  Old Knox Church

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  Blacks Point Museum

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  Reefton Masonic building

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  Reefton Distilling Co.

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  Reefton School of Mines

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  Roll of members