Coalgate is a small town in the

Selwyn District Selwyn District is a predominantly rural district in central Canterbury, on the east coast of New Zealand's South Island. It is named after the Selwyn River / Waikirikiri, which is in turn named after Bishop George Selwyn, the first Anglican bis ...

of the

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour. The Archbishop of Canterbury is the primate of ...

region of New Zealand's South Island. It is located roughly an hour west of

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon Rive ...

on State Highway 77. The town's name stems from it being the "gateway" to the lignite

coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal is formed when ...

fields around Whitecliffs, the

Rakaia Gorge The Rakaia Gorge is located on the Rakaia River in inland Canterbury in New Zealand's South Island. Like its neighbour, the Waimakariri River, the Rakaia runs through wide shingle beds for much of its length, but is forced through a narrow can ...

, and The Acheron River. Coal mining declined in the 20th century and has now ceased, but since the 1950s, commercial processing of

nontronite Nontronite is the iron(III) rich member of the smectite group of clay minerals. Nontronites typically have a chemical composition consisting of more than ~30% Fe2 O3 and less than ~12% Al2O3 (ignited basis). Nontronite has very few economic de ...

has taken place in Coalgate.

Demographics

Coalgate is described by Statistics New Zealand as a rural settlement, and covers . It is part of the Glentunnel statistical area. Coalgate had a population of 339 at the

2018 New Zealand census Eighteen or 18 may refer to: * 18 (number), the natural number following 17 and preceding 19 * one of the years 18 BC, AD 18, 1918, 2018 Film, television and entertainment * ''18'' (film), a 1993 Taiwanese experimental film based on the sho ...

, an increase of 24 people (7.6%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 111 people (48.7%) since the 2006 census. There were 138 households. There were 165 males and 174 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.95 males per female, with 75 people (22.1%) aged under 15 years, 51 (15.0%) aged 15 to 29, 165 (48.7%) aged 30 to 64, and 51 (15.0%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 98.2% European/Pākehā, 8.0% Māori, and 0.9% Pacific peoples (totals add to more than 100% since people could identify with multiple ethnicities). Although some people objected to giving their religion, 65.5% had no religion, 23.9% were Christian, 0.9% were Buddhist and 1.8% had other religions. Of those at least 15 years old, 45 (17.0%) people had a bachelor or higher degree, and 69 (26.1%) people had no formal qualifications. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 159 (60.2%) people were employed full-time, 39 (14.8%) were part-time, and 6 (2.3%) were unemployed.

Services

Notable features are the Coalgate Tavern and the Coalgate Cabins, both situated on the main road to Hororata. Coalgate also has a walkway through the old Coalgate Domain. In addition to these there is also a Coalgate bowling green. A garage is also located in Coalgate. The town has access to the Selwyn River and is situated to the east of Glentunnel.

Transport

On 3 November 1875, the Whitecliffs Branch

railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

was opened, with a station in Coalgate. It was here that a private line diverged from the state-operated

New Zealand Railways Department The New Zealand Railways Department, NZR or NZGR (New Zealand Government Railways) and often known as the "Railways", was a government department charged with owning and maintaining New Zealand's railway infrastructure and operating the railway ...

network. On 31 March 1962, the railway closed, but some of the line's old formation and the Coalgate station platform can still be found.David Leitch and Brian Scott, ''Exploring New Zealand's Ghost Railways'', revised edition (Wellington: Grantham House, 1998

995 Year 995 ( CMXCV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Japan * 17 May - Fujiwara no Michitaka (imperial regent) dies. * 3 June: Fujiwara no Michikane gain ...

, 71-2. Coalgate is serviced by State Highway 77/ Inland Scenic Route 72.

References

{{Selwyn Selwyn District Populated places in Canterbury, New Zealand