Contaminated gasworks sites
There are around 54 gasworks or former gasworks sites in New Zealand. Between the late 1800s and 1988, gasworks were a familiar sight in towns and cities throughout New Zealand. During this time the production of gas from coal was a major source of fuel for heating, cooking and lighting.
When a national natural gas reticulation system was set up during the 1970s and 1980s, these gasworks were gradually closed.
The manufacturing process generated a number of by-products and wastes, such as coal tar, spent oxide, purifier waste, ash and clinker. These wastes contain substances that are potentially hazardous to human health. Many of these wastes were disposed of both on and off-site. When many of the sites were closed, underground structures containing many of these contaminants were left.
The Ministry for the Environment published Guidelines for Assessing and Managing Contaminated Gasworks Sites in New Zealand in August 1997.
Last updated: 17 October 2007
