Weston, New Zealand
Encyclopedia
Weston is a township situated 5 km (3.1 mi) inland from Oamaru
, South Island
, New Zealand
. It is regarded as one of the more affluent townships of the Waitaki District
and had a population of 730 in the 2006 census.
Weston has some of the largest sporting grounds in the Oamaru region, with the Weston Domain having a full size cricket
oval, two football
pitches and two rugby union
fields, accompanied by a large pavilion and public garden/recreation area.
quarry in New Zealand, supplying New Zealand and exporting much overseas. The quarry lies a further mile inland from Weston, so its daily operation is not noticed by Weston residents.
International cement manufacturer Holcim
has gained consent to open a cement
plant near Weston, involving further limestone quarrying. The application prompted the founding of the Waiareka Preservation Society, which opposes the planned plant. Society members are worried how potential extra traffic through the township would impact on roading infrastructure. However, Holcim has stated a preference for rail transport between the cement works and harbour and would seek to reopen the line to Weston.
The Weston operations were formerly operated by Taylor's Limeworks, a subsidiary of Holcim.
Taylor's Limeworks consolidated their operations at Makareao
(Dunback
) in 1990 with the opening of a new plant there. The limeworks at Weston were then sold to Parkside Quarries Ltd, who continue to mine lime and Oamaru stone at two sites. If the Weston Cement Works development goes ahead, new lime/tuff quarries will be established at the western edge of Parkside's operations. The cement works will be on land immediately west of the old Taylor's works at Cormacks.
railway. After closure of the branch in 1959, the first five km remained as Taylor's Siding, serving Taylor's Limeworks, the line closing in 1997 and rails uplifted. In August 2006, a proposal was made to re-open the first 4.5 km of the branch through Weston. If the proposed cement works eventuates, either the harbour at Timaru
or Port Chalmers
would be used for shipping purposes. The rail corridor is still owned by ONTRACK
and the proposal would involve the operation of at least two trains each way daily.
Oamaru
Oamaru , the largest town in North Otago, in the South Island of New Zealand, is the main town in the Waitaki District. It is 80 kilometres south of Timaru and 120 kilometres north of Dunedin, on the Pacific coast, and State Highway 1 and the railway Main South Line connects it to both...
, South Island
South Island
The South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. It is regarded as one of the more affluent townships of the Waitaki District
Waitaki District
The Waitaki district, in the Canterbury and Otago regions of New Zealand, straddles the traditional border between the two regions, the Waitaki River. It has a land area of 7,151.94 km² , divided 59.28% to Canterbury Region and 40.72% to Otago Region. It is the only district on the South...
and had a population of 730 in the 2006 census.
Weston has some of the largest sporting grounds in the Oamaru region, with the Weston Domain having a full size cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
oval, two football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
pitches and two rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
fields, accompanied by a large pavilion and public garden/recreation area.
Limestone and cement
Weston is home to the largest Oamaru stoneOamaru stone
Oamaru stone is a hard, compact limestone, quarried at Weston, near Oamaru in Otago, New Zealand.The stone is used for building purposes, especially where ornate moulding is required. The finished stonework has a creamy, sandy colour...
quarry in New Zealand, supplying New Zealand and exporting much overseas. The quarry lies a further mile inland from Weston, so its daily operation is not noticed by Weston residents.
International cement manufacturer Holcim
Holcim
Holcim is a Swiss-based global company supplying cement and aggregates . The company also supplies ready-mix concrete and asphalt including associated construction services.-Holcim Group:...
has gained consent to open a cement
Cement
In the most general sense of the word, a cement is a binder, a substance that sets and hardens independently, and can bind other materials together. The word "cement" traces to the Romans, who used the term opus caementicium to describe masonry resembling modern concrete that was made from crushed...
plant near Weston, involving further limestone quarrying. The application prompted the founding of the Waiareka Preservation Society, which opposes the planned plant. Society members are worried how potential extra traffic through the township would impact on roading infrastructure. However, Holcim has stated a preference for rail transport between the cement works and harbour and would seek to reopen the line to Weston.
The Weston operations were formerly operated by Taylor's Limeworks, a subsidiary of Holcim.
Taylor's Limeworks consolidated their operations at Makareao
Makareao
Makareao is a lightly populated rural locality in the Otago region of New Zealand's South Island. To the west is Dunback and to the south is Inch Valley and the nearest significantly populated town, Palmerston.- Economy :...
(Dunback
Dunback
Dunback, formerly Waihemo, is a small town in the Otago region of New Zealand. It is located between Palmerston and Ranfurly on Highway 85. It has a population of about 200 people...
) in 1990 with the opening of a new plant there. The limeworks at Weston were then sold to Parkside Quarries Ltd, who continue to mine lime and Oamaru stone at two sites. If the Weston Cement Works development goes ahead, new lime/tuff quarries will be established at the western edge of Parkside's operations. The cement works will be on land immediately west of the old Taylor's works at Cormacks.
Ngapara Branch
Weston was the first stop on the defunct Ngapara BranchNgapara and Tokarahi Branches
The Ngapara and Tokarahi Branches were two connected railway branch lines in northern Otago, New Zealand, part of the national rail network. The Ngapara Branch opened in 1877 and almost all of it closed in 1959; the remaining few kilometres, called the Waiareka Industrial Line, were removed in...
railway. After closure of the branch in 1959, the first five km remained as Taylor's Siding, serving Taylor's Limeworks, the line closing in 1997 and rails uplifted. In August 2006, a proposal was made to re-open the first 4.5 km of the branch through Weston. If the proposed cement works eventuates, either the harbour at Timaru
Timaru
TimaruUrban AreaPopulation:27,200Extent:Former Timaru City CouncilTerritorial AuthorityName:Timaru District CouncilPopulation:42,867 Land area:2,736.54 km² Mayor:Janie AnnearWebsite:...
or Port Chalmers
Port Chalmers
Port Chalmers is a suburb and the main port of the city of Dunedin, New Zealand, with a population of 3,000. Port Chalmers lies ten kilometres inside Otago Harbour, some 15 kilometres northeast from Dunedin's city centre....
would be used for shipping purposes. The rail corridor is still owned by ONTRACK
New Zealand Railways Corporation
KiwiRail Network, formerly ONTRACK , is the infrastructure arm of KiwiRail. The ONTRACK trading name was introduced in 2004 after the government repurchased all of New Zealand's rail infrastructure from Toll NZ. It does not operate revenue rolling stock...
and the proposal would involve the operation of at least two trains each way daily.