Story: Mining and underground resources

William Larnarch, Minister of Mines in 1886

William Larnarch, Minister of Mines in 1886

Soon after being appointed minister of mines in 1885, William Larnach toured the mining areas of New Zealand and presented a comprehensive summary of his impressions to Parliament in 1886. Download the document to read his paper (194 KB).

Larnach instructed his officials to produce a handbook and guide to mining. The resulting Handbook of New Zealand mines, published in 1887, is a valuable record of the state of mining in the late 19th century. A revised version was produced in 1906.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library, General Assembly Library Collection (PAColl-0838)
Reference: 35mm-00123-d-F

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page:

Simon Nathan, 'Mining and underground resources - History of mining', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/document/9244/william-larnarch-minister-of-mines-in-1886 (accessed 26 April 2024)

Story by Simon Nathan, published 12 Jun 2006