HISTORY AND EDUCATION | EDITORIALS | GRADES, PRICES AND SPECIFICATIONS

 

HISTORY

Telephone:  03 418 0030 
e-mail:  kaipoint@ihug.co.nz

 

1844  Coal first discovered at Wangaloa by  Frederick Tuckett (surveyor).

1849    First Settlers arrive.

1858    First commercial mining.  (Lewis Mine).

1875    Local rail.

1866   Geologist, James Hector proclaimed a resource of 100 million ton of coal.

1876   Linked to main trunk.

1877   Seventeen miners employed, mining 3 ton per day per man.

1879    Underground mine disaster.  Thirty four miners die from the effects of a gas explosion.

1884   Big No 1 Mine opens, operates till 1936.

  

Change of Industrial safety legislation in New Zealand.

OPEN CAST MINING BEGINS   

1902 The Kaitangata mine originally owned by the New Zealand Collieries and Oil Company had an output for the year 1902 of 118,050 tons.  The mine is credited with a total output since it was first opened out of 1,641,257 tons.
1903 In 1903 the Kaitangata mine employed 407 men and put out 122,632, tons, or 4582 tons more than in the previous year.
  Many mines opened and closed during this period. The peak appears to be between the 1920’s and 1930’s.  Last count was that 56 coal mines once operated, now in the same area, one coal mine operates.
1951 In 1951 the operations began as an entity privately owned by the Cross Family.  The mine is an opencast mine.  Coal is black lignite. There are 12 employees including management, administration, mine workers, truck drivers and maintenance staff.

1956

 The Lockington Mine was opened, the last underground mine.  This mine closed in 1970 after mining in excess of 550,000 tons.

Kai Point Coal Company - Uncovered Coal Seams

The coal was formed during the Cretaceous geological period. Approximately 70 million years ago. 


THE MINING PROCESS


  1.  Vegetation Removal  

  2.  Topsoil Removal 

  3.  Overburden Removal

  4.  Coal Extraction

  5.  Mine rehabilitation

 


 PROCESSES AT OUR SCREENING PLANT
(THE SCREENS)


Above:  Digger at Kai Point Coal breaking out the coal from the coal seam.

 

                                                                                      Equipment utilized at the Screens include:

            1 Truck - 14 tonne payload
            1 Truck - 12 tonne payload
            1 Truck - 10 tonne payload
            1 Truck -   7 tonne payload
            1 Truck -   4 tonne payload
            1 Front End Loader

 

Left:   Loading Coal onto Truck for Processing
at the Kai Point Coal Screening Plant.
 

Primary Crushing Screening Crushing Screening
to -200mm oversize household to -35mm Produce nut, pea and chip grade coal.

Products are weighed prior to dispatch.

 Kai Point Coal supplies the following industries:  Meat Industry, Dairy Industry, Timber Industry.

Kai Point Coal supplies approximately 55 000 tonne annually to the manufacturing and household markets.

                

- The Exploration Process -

Historical evidence and outcrop

Look at geological record

Drill a few open holes at a large spacing

If promising - Drill with Cores

Test pit and bulk sample

 

- The Consent Process -

 A resource consent is required in accordance with the Resource Management Act.

A Mining licence is obtained in accordance with the Crown Minerals Act.


                                                          

HISTORY AND EDUCATION | EDITORIALS | GRADES, PRICES AND SPECIFICATIONS