New Plymouth - Transport and Industry

Transport and Industry

Electric power was first provided in January 1906 from the Mangorei power station alongside the Waiwakaiho River near Burgess Park. In the 1960s, the New Plymouth Power Station was initially designed to run on coal but constructed to be fueled by natural gas or fuel oil. This is a thermal power station with a steam turbine, commenced operation in 1974 with units progressively decommissioned from 2000 with one left operating in 2008.

Companies began searching for oil on the New Plymouth coast in 1865 after small deposits of thick oil were found on the shoreline. The first commercial quantities of oil were obtained in January 1866. Exploration continued sporadically and a refinery opened in 1913. Production ceased about 1972. The offshore Maui A well began production of natural gas in the late 1970s, sparking a flourishing energy and petrochemical industry. As Maui A’s resources decline, new sites in Taranaki are being developed in an effort to find more commercial petrochemical reserves.

An 18 km (11 mi) railway link between New Plymouth and Waitara was completed in 1875; this later became the Waitara Branch. The next year, work began on a line south to Stratford, which was reached in 1879, followed by Hawera in 1881. This line, known as the Marton - New Plymouth Line, was completed on 23 March 1885, and when the Wellington - Manawatu Line of the Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company was opened on 3 November 1886, a direct railway link was established to Wellington. The original routing through the centre of the town was replaced in 1907 by an alignment along the foreshore, which remains today. The New Plymouth Express passenger train began operating on this route in December 1886. In 1926, it was augmented by the Taranaki Flyer for the run between New Plymouth and Wanganui, A direct railway route to Auckland was not established until 1932, when the Stratford - Okahukura Line was completed; the next year, when the line was handed over from the Public Works Department to the New Zealand Railways Department, the New Plymouth Night Express began operating to Auckland. All carriage trains were replaced by RM class Standard and 88 seater railcars by 1956. The Wanganui service ceased in 1959; the Auckland service was truncated to terminate in Taumarunui from 1971; and the Wellington service was cancelled on 30 July 1977. On 11 February 1978, the Taumarunui railcar was replaced by a passenger train, but it was ultimately cancelled on 21 January 1983. Since this date, the only passenger trains to operate to New Plymouth have been infrequent excursions operated by railway preservation societies.

The breakwater at Ngamotu was completed in 1883, providing safe berthage for vessels, and the Moturoa wharf was completed in 1888. Port Taranaki is a critical transport link for the region and the only deep water port on the west coast of New Zealand.

In 1916 the city's electric tramway system began and petrol-powered buses began running four years later. Trams were scrapped in 1954.

The first aircraft landed at the racecourse in 1920 and commercial flights began using the airport at Bell Block in June 1937. During World War II this grass airfield became RNZAF Bell Block; and was replaced in 1966 by the current tarmac airport, 3 km (1.9 mi) NE of the old airport site.

Among the city's major industrial companies was Ivon Watkins-Dow, an agricultural chemicals company founded in 1944 by brothers Ivon, Harry and Dan Watkins and joined as a partner 20 years later by Dow Chemicals of Michigan. The company ran a factory at Paritutu making the herbicide 2,4,5-T. A 2005 study found that people who lived close to the Ivon Watkins-Dow plant between 1962 and 1987 were likely to have dioxin levels on average four times higher than the general public. In some groups the level was as much as seven times as high. A Public Health Medicine senior adviser has claimed that based on international findings, the residents' exposure to dioxin may cause increased rates of disease, in particular cancer. In March 2007 the Ministry of Health announced it would offer a major health support programme to anyone affected. In April 2008 the Ministry clarified that the programme's main feature would be a free annual medical check up for those who had lived, worked or studied close to the factory.

New Plymouth Fire District covers an area of approximately 30 square kilometres of urban area that is boarded by rural farmland to the west, New Plymouth urban city to the east and Mt Taranaki/Egmont to the South. Concentrated within the fire zone are the major petro-chemical tank farms of Methanex, Fletcher Challenge Energy, Shell Todd Oil Services Ltd, BP, Mobil Oils and Liquid Gas Ltd, containing some of the largest storage tanks in the Southern region Hemisphere. Port Taranaki (Westgate Ltd) is also within the zone. Westgate imports and exports large quantities of petroleum products - some of these products enter the tank farms by a network of high-pressure pipelines which are in a common corridor running along the cliff tops at Omata to the tank farms. Westgate has the largest dry storage complex in the country for the storage of dairy produce that is exported overseas.

The career station, New Plymouth Central Fire Station, is based on Liardet Street in the CBD. The brigade has four appliances, one HAZMAT/Command unit and two support vehicles based at the station with enough room to house a crew to cater for 2 appliances 24/7 with support personal working during the day - the crews work on a 4 on 4 off roster system (2 days with 2 night shifts). Not only does this particular brigade covers the New Plymouth metropolitan area, but also covers the Bell Block area and supports the New Plymouth Airport, although there is a fire appliance based at the airport for emergency landings. New Plymouth Central Fire Station was previously based on Powderham Street, next to the AA building in the early 1900s, 400m from it's current location. After the fire bridge moved to it's current location, the local radio station Energy FM, which is now Mediaworks Radio, used the upper floor for their operations. They moved to Devon Street in the late 1980s. The brigade supplies their specialist resources, like their 24m bronto skylift appliance, HAZMAT/Command unit, Incident Support Vehicle and additional crews, to other surrounding Brigades in large emergencies, if needed.

New Plymouth West Volunteer Fire Brigade is New Plymouth's second fire brigade which is based in the suburban area of Spotswood, which is close to Port Taranaki, Cool Stores and a number of storage tanks. The brigade has one appliance which requires volunteers to man when called. New Plymouth West Brigade supports, New Plymouth Central, Oakura, Inglewood and the Waitara Brigades.

Port Taranaki is the home port for HMNZS Endeavour but is based at the Devonport Navy Base on Auckland's North Shore