New Zealand Ministry of Works
Encyclopedia
The New Zealand
Ministry of Works, formerly the Department of Public Works and sometimes referred to as the Public Works Department or PWD, was founded in 1876 and disestablished and privatised in 1988. The Ministry had its own Cabinet
-level responsible minister, the Minister of Works or Minister of Public Works.
, who helped create the Public Works Department during his term in office. This building held the Vogel Computer, one of the largest in New Zealand and used by several government departments for engineering work. The Ministry moved to the Vogel Building about 1965.
Prior to that it was located in the Old Government Building on Lambton Quay. During the latter years of the Ministry of Works and Development there were seven District Offices (Auckland, Hamilton, Wanganui, Napier, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin) headed by a District Commissioner of Works and in each District there were a number of Residency Offices (headed by a Resident Engineer) and each had a number of Depots. In addition there were Project Offices set up for a particular purpose - mainly to build a power project but also for an airport or tunnel or irrigation scheme.
and the holding company was disestablished.
from 1876 until 1880, when operations were transferred to the New Zealand Railways Department
. This did not cause the conclusion of the PWD's railway operations, as it still operated railway lines when under construction, sometimes providing revenue services for customers prior to the official transfer of the line to the Railways Department. The PWD owned its own locomotives and rolling stock, although some of it was second-hand equipment no longer required by the Railways Department, and it operated some small railway lines that were never transferred to the Railways Department. One example is a 6.4km branch line
built in 1928 from near the terminus of the Railways Department's Kurow Branch
to a hydro-electric dam project on the Waitaki River
. This branch was not solely used to service the dam project; the PWD used its own rolling stock to provide an unofficial service for school children who lived along the line and attended school in Kurow
, and occasionally special Railways Department trains operated on the line with PWD motive power, including a 1931 passenger sightseeing excursion to view the under-construction dam. This line was removed in April 1937 as the PWD no longer required it.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
Ministry of Works, formerly the Department of Public Works and sometimes referred to as the Public Works Department or PWD, was founded in 1876 and disestablished and privatised in 1988. The Ministry had its own Cabinet
New Zealand Cabinet
The Cabinet of New Zealand functions as the policy and decision-making body of the executive branch within the New Zealand government system...
-level responsible minister, the Minister of Works or Minister of Public Works.
Structure and operations
The Head Office of the Ministry was based in the Vogel Building in Wellington, named after former Premier Sir Julius VogelJulius Vogel
Sir Julius Vogel, KCMG was the eighth Premier of New Zealand. His administration is best remembered for the issuing of bonds to fund railway construction and other public works...
, who helped create the Public Works Department during his term in office. This building held the Vogel Computer, one of the largest in New Zealand and used by several government departments for engineering work. The Ministry moved to the Vogel Building about 1965.
Prior to that it was located in the Old Government Building on Lambton Quay. During the latter years of the Ministry of Works and Development there were seven District Offices (Auckland, Hamilton, Wanganui, Napier, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin) headed by a District Commissioner of Works and in each District there were a number of Residency Offices (headed by a Resident Engineer) and each had a number of Depots. In addition there were Project Offices set up for a particular purpose - mainly to build a power project but also for an airport or tunnel or irrigation scheme.
Dissolution
While the policy functions were either disestablished or passed on to other Government departments, the commercial operations were set up as Works and Development Services Corporation (a Government owned trading enterprise) and the computing bureau and the buildings maintenance units were sold. Later Works and Development Services Corporation set up two main companies Works Consultancy Services and Works Civil Construction. These two companies were sold in 1996 and became Opus International Consultants and Works InfrastructureWorks Infrastructure
Downer EDI Works Limited is a large New Zealand engineering and construction company owned by the Australian Downer EDI company.-History:...
and the holding company was disestablished.
Military installations
- Ohakea and WhenuapaiWhenuapaiWhenuapai is a suburb and airport located in the western Waitakere area of Auckland City, in the North Island of New Zealand. It is located on the northwestern shore of the Waitemata Harbour, 15 kilometres to the northwest of Auckland's city centre. It is one of the landing points for the Southern...
aircraft hangars (1939) - Stony BatterStony BatterStony Batter is a historic defence installation at the northeastern end of Waiheke Island, Auckland, New Zealand. It is sited within a 50 acre scenic reserve of the same name, owned by the New Zealand Department of Conservation...
(1944) - Wrights Hill FortressWrights Hill FortressWrights Hill Fortress is a counter bombardment coastal artillery battery in the Karori suburb of Wellington, New Zealand. It was built between 1942 and 1947 and is predominantly underground, with numerous tunnels linking the war shelters, gun emplacements, magazines, plotting rooms and engine room...
(1943)
Projects
- Waitaki Dam (Completed 1935)
- Tekapo A (Completed 1951)
- Clyde DamClyde DamThe Clyde Dam, New Zealand's third largest hydroelectric dam, is built on the Clutha River near the town of Clyde. It is owned and operated by Contact Energy.-History:...
(Completed 1989)
History
Under the Public Works Act of 1876, the then Department of Public Works was responsible for the operation of New Zealand's railway networkRail transport in New Zealand
Rail transport in New Zealand consists of a network of gauge railway lines in both the North and South Islands. Rail services are focused primarily on freight, particularly bulk freight, with limited passenger services on some lines...
from 1876 until 1880, when operations were transferred to the New Zealand Railways Department
New Zealand Railways Department
The New Zealand Railways Department, NZR or NZGR and often known as the "Railways", was a government department charged with owning and maintaining New Zealand's railway infrastructure and operating the railway system. The Department was created in 1880 and was reformed in 1981 into the New...
. This did not cause the conclusion of the PWD's railway operations, as it still operated railway lines when under construction, sometimes providing revenue services for customers prior to the official transfer of the line to the Railways Department. The PWD owned its own locomotives and rolling stock, although some of it was second-hand equipment no longer required by the Railways Department, and it operated some small railway lines that were never transferred to the Railways Department. One example is a 6.4km branch line
Branch line
A branch line is a secondary railway line which branches off a more important through route, usually a main line. A very short branch line may be called a spur line...
built in 1928 from near the terminus of the Railways Department's Kurow Branch
Kurow Branch
The Kurow Branch was a branch line railway that formed part of New Zealand's national rail network...
to a hydro-electric dam project on the Waitaki River
Waitaki River
The Waitaki River is a large river in the South Island of New Zealand, some 110 km long. It is the major river of the Mackenzie Basin.It is a braided river which flows through Lake Benmore, Lake Aviemore and Lake Waitaki. These are ultimately fed by three large glacial lakes, Pukaki, Tekapo,...
. This branch was not solely used to service the dam project; the PWD used its own rolling stock to provide an unofficial service for school children who lived along the line and attended school in Kurow
Kurow
Kurow is a town in the Waitaki Valley in the South Island of New Zealand, 55 kilometres inland from OamaruThe name of the town is an Anglicised form of the name of the nearby mountain Te Kohurau....
, and occasionally special Railways Department trains operated on the line with PWD motive power, including a 1931 passenger sightseeing excursion to view the under-construction dam. This line was removed in April 1937 as the PWD no longer required it.
Projects
- Raurimu SpiralRaurimu SpiralThe Raurimu Spiral is a single-track railway spiral, starting with a horseshoe curve, overcoming a 132 m height difference, in the central North Island of New Zealand, on the North Island Main Trunk Railway. It is a notable feat of civil engineering, having been called an 'engineering masterpiece'...
(1898) - North Island Main Trunk Railway (Completed 1908)
- Otira TunnelOtira TunnelThe Otira Tunnel is a railway tunnel on the Midland Line in the South Island of New Zealand between Otira and Arthur's Pass. It runs under the Southern Alps from Arthur's Pass to Otira - a length of over . The gradient is mainly 1 in 33, and the Otira end of the tunnel is over lower than the...
(Completed 1923) - East Coast Main Trunk Railway (Completed 1928)
- Westfield deviationEastern Line, AucklandThe Eastern Line in Auckland, New Zealand is the name given to Auckland suburban part of the North Island Main Trunk. Suburban services are operated by Veolia under the MAXX brand...
(Completed 1929) - Auckland railway stationAuckland railway stationAuckland Railway Station is the former main railway station of Auckland, New Zealand, and is located on the eastern edge of the Auckland CBD near Mechanics Bay...
(1930) - Stratford - Okahukura Line (Completed 1932)
- Tawa Flat deviationTawa Flat deviationThe Tawa Flat deviation is a double-track section of the North Island Main Trunk Railway just north of Wellington, New Zealand. It includes two tunnels, Tawa No. 1 and Tawa No. 2 , separated by the Ngauranga Gorge. No. 2 tunnel passes under Newlands and comes out at Glenside, on the way to Tawa...
(Completed 1935) - Kaimai Railway TunnelKaimai RangesThe Kaimai Range is a mountain range in the North Island of New Zealand. It is part of a series of ranges, with the Coromandel Range to the north and the Mamaku Ranges to the south. The Kaimai Range separates the Waikato in the west from the Bay of Plenty in the east.The highest point of the range...
(Completed 1978)