Tangiwai facts for kids

Tangiwai is a small rural community in the Ruapehu District of New Zealand's North Island. It is part of the Manawatū-Whanganui region. The area covers about 2,696 square kilometres. In 2018, many people living here worked in farming, forestry, and fishing.

The name Tangiwai means "weeping water" in the Māori language.

The Tangiwai Disaster

Tangiwai is well-known for New Zealand's worst train accident. This sad event happened near Tangiwai on Christmas Eve, 24 December 1953. A passenger train was travelling from Wellington to Auckland.

Just minutes before the train arrived, a bridge over the Whangaehu River collapsed. This happened because a natural dam holding back Mount Ruapehu's crater lake broke. When the dam broke, a huge mudflow called a lahar rushed down the river. A lahar is a powerful mix of volcanic ash, rocks, and water. This lahar destroyed one of the bridge supports.

The train's engine and the first six carriages fell into the river. Sadly, 151 people lost their lives. Today, there is a memorial at the accident site to remember those who died.

Māori Culture in Tangiwai

The Tirorangi Marae and Rangiteauria meeting house are important places in the Tangiwai area. A marae is a special meeting place for Māori people. It is a traditional gathering ground for several groups (called hapū) of the Ngāti Rangi iwi (tribe). These groups include Ngāti Rangihaereroa, Ngāti Rangiteauria, and Ngāti Tongaiti.

People of Tangiwai

The Tangiwai area is quite large. It includes the community of Tangiwai and the nearby place called Rangataua. However, it does not include the towns of Raetihi, Ohakune, or Waiouru.

In 2018, 1,281 people lived in the Tangiwai area. This was a small increase from 2013. The average age of people living here was 40 years old. About 21.8% of the residents were under 15 years old.

Most people in Tangiwai identify as European/Pākehā (78.2%). A significant number (34.0%) identify as Māori. Some people also identify as Pacific peoples or Asian.

When asked about religion, many people (55.0%) said they had no religion. About 31.9% were Christian, and 4.4% followed Māori religious beliefs.

Timber Industry

Tangiwai has a history with the timber industry. For many years, trees from nearby forests have been cut down and processed here.

Early Sawmills

From 1908 to 1930, a company called George Syme & Co ran a sawmill in Tangiwai. They cut down native trees like totara, rimu, matai, and kahikatea. A small railway track, called a tramway, connected the mill to the train station. The mill burned down in 1926.

In 1926, the Karioi state forest was created. This large forest, covering over 33,500 acres, was set aside for growing trees. It stretches northeast from Tangiwai towards Mount Ruapehu. By 1931, millions of trees had been planted there. Trees have been harvested from this forest since the late 1960s.

Modern Sawmill

In 1966, the Tangiwai Sawmill was built next to the railway station. In 1993, Winstone Pulp International Ltd (WPI) bought the sawmill. They made it bigger and better, so it could process over 100,000 cubic metres of timber each year. The mill also had special equipment to dry the wood and a plant that used wood waste to create energy.

In 2008, a Malaysian company called Ernslaw One Ltd bought WPI.

Pulp Mill

Another important part of the timber industry in Tangiwai was the pulp mill. This mill turned wood into pulp, which is used to make things like newsprint and paperboard. Much of this pulp was sent overseas. The mill also used a special furnace to recover heat from bark, which helped power the factory.

The pulp mill was built in 1976 by Winstone and a Korean company. It started making pulp in 1979. Over the years, the mill faced some challenges with prices and quality. Eventually, Fletcher Challenge bought Winstone, and then the Karioi mill was sold to a Hong Kong company. Later, WPI was sold to Ernslaw One in 2008.

Mills Closure in 2024

In August 2024, Winstone Pulp International announced that they might close their mills in the central North Island. They said that the cost of electricity was too high, making it hard for their business to make money.

Local leaders, like the Mayor of Ruapehu Weston Kirton, asked the New Zealand Government for help. They hoped the government could offer a special payment to help with electricity costs.

However, on 10 September 2024, the company confirmed that both the Karioi pulp mill and the Tangiwai timber mill would close by October 2024. This meant that 230 people would lose their jobs. The company's chief executive said the closure was due to high energy prices and low prices for pulp and timber.

The company said it would help its staff find new jobs and get support from government agencies. Many employees were very sad about the closure. They worried about job losses in the area and some families moving to Australia for work.

Unions like First Union and E tū said the closure was "devastating." They thanked local leaders for trying to save the mills. The Energy Minister said it was a business decision and the government would not step in.

Climate

Images for kids

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  Tangiwai in 2011, showing the pulp mill to the west and the timber mill and forest to the north of the railway.