Horahora power station

A DigitalNZ Story by DigitalNZ

A short history of the Horahora Power Station—an intriguing tale of construction, flooding, and changing landscapes.

horahora, power station, waikato, river, construction, waihi miners strike, gold mining, dam, rapids, aniwania

Waikato's first hydro-electric power

The Horohora Power Station near Matamata has a fascinating history. The station was built between 1910–1913 to power the nearby goldmines at Waihi. It was the first hydro-electric power station built on the Waikato River and generated power via eight massive turbines.

Image: Practically A New River Bed

Practically A New River Bed

Auckland Libraries

Image: A Difficulty Of The Road

A Difficulty Of The Road

Auckland Libraries

Image: Workmen's huts at Hora Hora

Workmen's huts at Hora Hora

Auckland Libraries

Image: Rapidly nearing completion

Rapidly nearing completion

Auckland Libraries

Waihi Miners' Strike

Whilst the dam was being constructed, the Waihi miners' strike, one of the most important events in Aotearoa's labour history, was taking place. Despite efforts to enlist the station workers to participate in the strike, they remained ununionised and on the job.

Image: Waihi Miner's Strike

Waihi Miner's Strike

Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga

Image: Strike supporters at 1912 Waihi strike

Strike supporters at 1912 Waihi strike

Manatū Taonga, the Ministry for Culture and Heritage

Power for Auckland

The station was sold to the government in 1919 and between 1924 and 1926 it was significantly upgraded in order to supply power to Auckland and the Bay of Plenty.

The station goes underwater

In 1947, the Horahora Power Station was flooded in order to power the new Karapiro Power Station further down the Waikato river. The process took a week and these photos show the extraordinary event, with villages from Horahora gathered inside the station to watch the waters rise.

Image: Horahora - Karapiro

Horahora - Karapiro

Auckland Libraries

Image: Horahora - Karapiro

Horahora - Karapiro

Auckland Libraries

Image: Horahora - Karapiro

Horahora - Karapiro

Auckland Libraries

Image: The dam at Lake Karapiro

The dam at Lake Karapiro

Auckland Libraries

A new life in contemporary art

In 2007, artists Brett Graham (Ngāti Korokī) and Rachel Rakena (Ngāpuhi and Ngāi Tahu) exhibited their collaborative artwork Aniwaniwa at the 52nd Venice Biennale. Brett Graham's father, Fred Graham, grew up in the now-submerged village of Horahora, and Aniwaniwa takes the story of Horahora and its decimation as a starting point to think about submersion and cultural loss. See Waikato Museum for further information.