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Heritage New Zealand, Autumn 2003

Diggings Undermine Waihi Landmark

Collapsing mine shafts and tunnels that have forced homeowners to abandon parts of Waihi are also threatening one of the region's most celebrated heritage structures, the Martha Mine pumphouse.

Remnants of the historic Cornish pumphouse, Waihi. Photo: Tony Aldridge PhotoNewZealand.com

The pumphouse, registered as a Category I historic place, has been a Waihi landmark for nearly 100 years. But now it is on the move or, to be precise, a lean. This is hardly surprising. It sits nearly directly above the huge, 402 metres-deep No 5 shaft. The presence of this shaft and the various workings linked to it, with their decaying timber supports, led to a collapse in the ground near the pumphouse after the mine closed in 1952.

Such is the possible threat to the structure that one option being seriously contemplated is relocation. To separate the aboveground parts of the structure from its foundations, and from its original context, so that it no longer sits over the shaft it was built to service would considerably reduce the pumphouse's heritage value. However, with 400 metres of uncertainty beneath, it may be that no amount of shoring up, reinforcement and engineering ingenuity can save the building in the event of another collapse. But moving the pumphouse would be a feat in itself, and quite likely a very expensive one.

Local Historic Places Trust area co-ordinator Gail Henry says the Trust is awaiting further information before making a decision. "Obviously our preferred option is for the structure to stay where it is."

The Trust is working with all parties, including Land Information New Zealand Ltd (LINZ), Hauraki District Council, the mining company Newmont Waihi Operations and the community to get the best possible result.

Newmont has funded an archaeological assessment of the pumphouse and immediate environs, Henry says, but she would like to see this taken further and a full conservation plan prepared. This would provide information to international conservation standards with which to evaluate the options for the future of this nationally important icon.

Hauraki District Council general manager Langley Cavers says that the council would also prefer that the building stay where it is. No decision has been made about who would pay for the building to be moved if that option were chosen.

Cavers says the close proximity of the pumphouse to the open-cast Martha Mine means that the activities of Newmont Waihi Operations may have contributed to the vulnerability of the pumphouse. If that were the case, he says, the company may be liable for costs under the terms and conditions of its land-use consent.

The first gold was discovered on Martha Hill in 1878 and underground gold mining in Waihi ended in 1952, only to be revived again in the late 1970s with open-cast mining that continues to this day. The Martha Mine became one of the greatest gold producers in New Zealand. During its peak years in the early 1900s it ranked among the largest in the world.

The pumphouse was built in 1904 to house the huge Cornish pump required to keep the deep No 5 mineshaft dry. The machinery - boilers, steam engine and pump - was superseded in 1913 by electrically powered pumps installed in the mines, but was kept in working order until 1930. The building was then stripped and gradually succumbed to the elements - including Cyclone Drena in 1997 - becoming the stark monument seen today. Some have likened the building, with its arched windows, to an ecclesiastical ruin, qualities that have helped the pumphouse become Waihi's principal icon.

Local interest in the issue is enormous and whatever decision is made will certainly be controversial. Some want it saved whatever the cost; others feel moving it may not be worth the effort and that nature should take its course. And some are strongly against any mining activity - historic or recent - because of what the town has been through. One thing is certain, Waihi without its pumphouse would be unthinkable.

The Martha Mine Pumphouse is registered as a Category I Historic Place.

How you can help

If you feel strongly about these issues, let the Trust know by writing to the Chief Executive, Dr Bill Tramposch,
PO Box 2629, Wellington. A form letter is available here to help save your time.