Coast issues
The West Coast: making its voice heard since 1864
The assumption in politics that ‘one size fits all’ does not go down well on the West Coast; it creates concern and leads to protest.
In this story we look at how Coasters have voiced their concerns on matters that have affected their livelihoods over the last 156 years.
Tony Kokshoorn, former Mayor of the Grey District Council, talks in this clip about significant protests and confrontations on the Coast since 1864. These include protests relating to the discovery of gold (1864), the crib time strike at Blackball (1908), the Beer ban (1947), the Watersiders Strike (1951), the West Coast Forestry Accord (1986), the closing of Lane Walker Rudkin (1986) and the halting of West Coast native logging (1999). In 2010 access to gold mining for McRae’s at Reefton and the issue of mining in conservation reserves were the subjects of further protests.
The interview here was recorded in August 2010 by Jackie Gurden:
