Kaitangata, New Zealand

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Kaitangata is a town near the coast of South Otago, New Zealand, on the left bank of the Clutha River ten kilometres south east of Balclutha. The town is known to its residents simply as Kai.

The town sits close to the coast on one of the branches of the Clutha River's delta. The small island of Inch Clutha lies immediately to the southwest of the town. Close to the town to the north lies the small Lake Tuakitoto, which drains into the Clutha via a small stream which runs to the west of Kaitangata.

According to the 2006 census, the usually resident population of Kaitangata was 810, an increase of 21 since 2001. The town is largely of European descent, with well below the national average of people recorded as being non-European (7.1%).

The origin of the town's Māori name is uncertain. It is the name of a figure in Polynesian mythology, but more likely comes from cannibal feasts held after tribal fighting in the district between Kāi Tahu and Kāti Mamoe. The name loosely translates from Māori to English as, 'Kill a man and eat him'.

Memorial to the 1879 mining disaster

Kaitangata's European history is closely tied to coal extraction. One of New Zealand's early industrial disasters occurred at the Kaitangata mine in 1879, when the lives of 34 miners were lost in an underground explosion.

Coal mining was the mainstay of the town's economy from the 1870s until 1972, when the last state-owned underground coal mine closed. Several open-cast mines have continued to exist (both state and private) up to the present day, such as the Kai Point Mine. From 1876 to 1970, the Kaitangata Line railway served the mines; initially privately owned, it later came into the state Mines Department's possession. The locomotive that operated the line for many years, known during operation as an "Improved F", was donated to the preservation society at Shantytown in Westland and it operates heritage trains today with the nameplate "Kaitangata" in honour of its former home.

The underground mines produced sub-bituminous coal of a high quality, which was used primarily as fuel for the steam locomotives, in use in NZ until the 1960s. When the railways switched to diesel locomotives the decline of underground mining occurred. The open-cast mines produce lignite, which is primarily used in household fires. The continuing decline in the number of houses with coal fires, and the environmental push to replace the remaining fireplaces, means that the remaining open-cast mines days are numbered.

In recent years the town has gained some notoriety due to several high-profile crimes connected with the town (notably a series of arsons in the 1990s). The inauguration of a local promotions society (formed from the former ratepayers' association) has turned around this image somewhat and has been responsible for numerous civic projects in and around the town.

Famous Kaitangatans have included All Black rugby player Tony Brown.