Westport - Bugger! Another ghost town in the making

[Banditbandit]

. Tourism has potential but creates little value.

Yeah ???

Domestic and international tourism combined are a $23.9 billion industry, $9.8 billion of which is export earnings.

http://www.mbie.govt.nz/pdf-library/...ism-report.pdf (2013)


And the industry on the coast is worth

$288 million a year that international and domestic visitors spend on the West Coast is equivalent to 20.4% of the region’s gross domestic product (GDP) – second only to Otago (25.2% of regional GDP).

http://www.tianz.org.nz/main/news-de...to-west-coast/

Mining is a $2 billion industry and more than half of that - $1.1 billion – earns export dollars for New Zealand. A significant proportion of those export earnings are from coal.

http://www.straterra.co.nz/mining4nz...he-nz-economy/

So Tourism earns the country $9.8billion in export earnings .. mining earns $1.1billion in export earnings ...

Make your own judgements ... but do you think tourists come here to see mines or to see "clean green New Zealand"? Where do you find "clean green New Zealand" (leave the cynicism out) ..On the West Coast ..

[oldrider]

Media are feeding off this as usual - the coasters are trying to move on - fact they knew it was likely doesn't make it any easier!

Media beat-up isn't really adding anything constructive!

[TheDemonLord]

fact they knew it was likely doesn't make it any easier!

Beregond: It is as the Lord Denethor predicted. Long has he foreseen this doom
Gandalf: Forseen and done nothing!

[AllanB]

It's mainly due to the invent of modern electronics. Years back if you were a bad kid Santa would leave you a piece of coal in your Christmas stocking.

Now kids have the net they stop believing in Santa at 5. Thus a significant reduction in the global demand for coal.



I remember some years back a Government gifting the Coast millions and millions to develop alternative sources of revenue - what happened to that?


They do have fantastic roads so get out and ride them while their Councils can still afford to maintain them.

[jellywrestler]

As a born and bred Coaster it saddens me to hear last night a quaint town hanging on by it's finger tips gets shafted by the only two large employers it has.

shafted??? what sort of world do you live in, do you run a business? if so if thae market changes and you get half the price for your goods, half the customers you used to or materials double in price do you just make up the differenence out of your own pocket and keep it going the same????
just how are these people supposed to do that ya clown?

[98tls]

shafted??? what sort of world do you live in, do you run a business? if so if thae market changes and you get half the price for your goods, half the customers you used to or materials double in price do you just make up the differenence out of your own pocket and keep it going the same????
just how are these people supposed to do that ya clown?

Heres an idea run the fucking business properly,you would have to be completely stupid (or a Kiwi i guess) to not work out the demand for coal isnt what it was jesus H theres plenty of Denniston coal been sitting offshore of Japan for years and then some.These cunts are the definition of useless and have been for years.$650,000 a year for that cunt to ponce about in orange overallsmind you this shit isnt restricted to the West coast.Have to chuckle at people moaning about govt support for the area fuck me theres citys up north full of fuckers living off support and have been for years ya blind cunts and ive no doubt hard working coasters have paid far more of there hard earned out over said years than the handouts they have received of late.

[husaberg]

Exactly the same is happening the length of the country to a greater or lesser degree.

Reading the spin about "growth" and "development" makes me cringe. Not happening in my neighborhood. Communities are barely hanging on by there fingernails. Heart breaking.

I would say to a lesser degree about 1200 jobs have been shed on the Coast with Spring creek Globe Pike and Stockton now plus god knows how many else due to the flow on effect.
1200 decent paying jobs jobs is a bloody lot when there is only 30000 people the coast in the first place.
Note same number of people still managing Solid Energy......

[oldiebutagoody]

There seems to be a multitude of Bike runs and rallys for any number of charities nowadays.

I've always wanted to see the West Coast, its the only part of NZ I have not been yet.

How about someone organise an annual West Coast MC gathering, converge from everywhere and spend some dosh there.

[AllanB]

I read somewhere a few years back that the coal powered generator in the North Island (Huntly?) designed to be used as back up power if the lakes get low is run on imported coal as the Coast stuff does not burn green enough for some bureaucrat.

[Kickaha]

I read somewhere a few years back that the coal powered generator in the North Island (Huntly?) designed to be used as back up power if the lakes get low is run on imported coal as the Coast stuff does not burn green enough for some bureaucrat.

I don't think it ever ran just on imported coal

[husaberg]

I read somewhere a few years back that the coal powered generator in the North Island (Huntly?) designed to be used as back up power if the lakes get low is run on imported coal as the Coast stuff does not burn green enough for some bureaucrat.

Hunty power station imports Coal from overseas
There was to be a coal fired power station near Stockton the green movement in the 80's stopped it.
It was to use the low grade coal so they didn't have to bury it again.
Stockton coal is coaking coal for steel making.
To achieve the optimum blend and efficiency it needed higher grade Spring Creek coal to balance the abundant lower grades of Stockton.
Note years later there is still the same number of Management at Solid Energy

[Kickaha]

Hunty power station imports Coal from overseas

It stopped importing coal last year

[swarfie]

Note years later there is still the same number of Management at Solid Energy

Their Chiefs to Indians ratio must be getting out of kilter

Bout time they had a culling session at head office

[ellipsis]

...the world is riddled with ghost towns...aeons of them...NZ is a ghost town...last time I looked, anyway...

[eldog]

Hunty power station imports Coal from overseas
There was to be a coal fired power station near Stockton the green movement in the 80's stopped it.
It was to use the low grade coal so they didn't have to bury it again.
Stockton coal is coaking coal for steel making.
To achieve the optimum blend and efficiency it needed higher grade Spring Creek coal to balance the abundant lower grades of Stockton.

Was involved in making some new gear for Spring Creek a few years back.
Very interesting job it was to. New Conveyor drives etc.

Developed drives so they could be implemented in any mine in any location.

Pike river and the drop in coal price etc stopped future work
a real waste. I put weeks on making the gear easy to use etc. Most hours unpaid because i could see it used everywhere all over NZ

All the Bits parked up here and there.......

still think some shake up of the coal mining industry was warranted. but I am too far away from the coal face.

loss of jobs=typical accountants is still sad to see.