Story: Economy and the environment

Building the Roxburgh dam

Watch building work on the Roxburgh dam on the Clutha River from 1954. Construction of the first dam on the Clutha River was completed in 1956. In this footage a narrow strip of rock holding back the river known as ‘the upper dumpling’ was blasted to change the course of the river, to allow work on the dam’s foundation.

Using this item

Archives New Zealand - Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga

Reference: Pictorial Parade 27. National Film Unit, 1954.

Permission of Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga must be obtained before any re-use of this material.

All images & media in this story

How to cite this page

Eric Pawson, Economy and the environment – Erosion, power generation and mining, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/video/21655/building-the-roxburgh-dam (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Eric Pawson, published 26 February 2010.

Comments

Wendy Nuthall
10 July 2020

What is a dumpling?