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Story: Rock, limestone and clay

Building the Roxburgh dam

Video file

Watch footage of the early stages of the construction of the Roxburgh dam. Construction of the first dam on the Clutha River was completed in 1956. Thousands of tonnes of concrete were slowly poured, creating the massive plug that held back the river. Demand for aggregate and concrete surged with big construction projects, especially during the dam-building era of the 1950s and 1960s.

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Archives New Zealand - Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga

Reference: Power Progress. National Film Unit, 1951

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

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How to cite this page

Carl Walrond, Rock, limestone and clay – Aggregate, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/video/5213/building-the-roxburgh-dam (accessed 24 June 2026).

Story by Carl Walrond, published 2 March 2009.