Story: Pulp and paper, aluminium and steel industries

Otago Paper Mills, 1885

Otago Paper Mills, 1885

In the 1880s the Otago Paper Mills at Woodhaugh, Dunedin, produced about 200 tonnes of paper a year. Not visible in the painting is the water source needed for making paper. Some mills, like New Zealand’s other mill at Mataura, used water wheels to drive machinery. The papermaking process itself required water, and rivers and streams were used to dispose of waste. The Woodhaugh site had access to both the Leith and another creek opposite the mill.

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Hocken Library, University of Otago
Reference: S09-021b - E1564/34

Permission of the Hocken Library Uare Taoka o Hakena, University of Otago, must be obtained before any re-use of this image. Further information may be obtained from the Library through its website.

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How to cite this page:

Megan Cook, 'Pulp and paper, aluminium and steel industries - Paper: the first attempts', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/artwork/21171/otago-paper-mills-1885 (accessed 20 April 2024)

Story by Megan Cook, published 11 Mar 2010