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Story: Hauraki–Coromandel region

Waihī miners’ strike: strikebreakers

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Waihī miners’ strike: strikebreakers

Miners at Waihī, in many instances already unhappy about their working conditions, went on strike when another union, believed to be employer-sponsored, was established in May 1912. The mining company refused to compromise and in October reopened the mine with non-union labour. Violence came to a head on 12 November, after which many strikers left town and the strike collapsed.

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Alexander Turnbull Library, Waihi Arts Centre and Museum Collection

Reference: 1/2-116710-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

Paul Monin, Hauraki–Coromandel region – Gold mining, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/30413/waihi-miners-strike-strikebreakers (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Paul Monin, published 13 December 2010, updated 1 April 2016.