Ross was established in the 1860s, during the West Coast gold rush, and became an important centre for miners.[5] At its largest, the town had around 2,500 inhabitants, but the population declined after local goldfields were depleted in the early 1870s.[6]Quartz was occasionally mined on Mount Greenland, a nearby ridge, but little more gold was found until two miners discovered a large 3.1-kilogram nugget in 1909, which was later named the "Honourable Roddy Nugget", after Roderick McKenzie, the Minister for Mines at the time.[7]
From 1872 to the early 1900s a number of Chinese lived and worked in Ross, and a Chinese Miners' Memorial Garden on the shore of Ross Lake commemorates them.[8]
The settlement was originally called Jones Flat, but was also sometimes known as Georgetown and Totara. It was given the name Rosstown, which was shortened to Ross in about 1866, after George Ross, who was the Canterbury Provincial Council's treasurer at the time of the naming.[9][10]
Local government
Following the abolition of Westland Province in 1876, Ross became part of Westland County. In 1878, Ross Borough was formed, with its own borough council and mayor, and remained in existence until 1972, when it merged back into Westland County.[11][12] Since the local government reforms of 1989, Ross has been part of Westland District.
Demographics
Ross is described by Statistics New Zealand as a rural settlement and covers 8.87 km2 (3.42 sq mi).[1] It had an estimated population of 290 as of June 2024,[2] with a population density of 33 people per km2. The settlement is part of the larger Waitaha statistical area.[13]
Aylmer Street, Ross, 1870; the Morning Star mine is visible in the background
Ross had a population of 285 at the 2018 New Zealand census, a decrease of 9 people (−3.1%) since the 2013 census, and a decrease of 6 people (−2.1%) since the 2006 census. There were 150 households, comprising 156 males and 129 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.21 males per female, with 42 people (14.7%) aged under 15 years, 21 (7.4%) aged 15 to 29, 150 (52.6%) aged 30 to 64, and 72 (25.3%) aged 65 or older.
Ethnicities were 90.5% European/Pākehā, 13.7% Māori, 2.1% Asian, and 4.2% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.
Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 58.9% had no religion, 32.6% were Christian and 1.1% had other religions.
Of those at least 15 years old, 18 (7.4%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 93 (38.3%) people had no formal qualifications. 24 people (9.9%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 123 (50.6%) people were employed full-time, 39 (16.0%) were part-time, and 9 (3.7%) were unemployed.[14]
Waitaha statistical area
Waitaha statistical area covers 1,497.78 km2 (578.30 sq mi)[1] and had an estimated population of 460 as of June 2024,[15] with a population density of 0.31 people per km2.
Waitaha had a population of 450 at the 2018 New Zealand census, a decrease of 21 people (−4.5%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 12 people (2.7%) since the 2006 census. There were 213 households, comprising 246 males and 204 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.21 males per female. The median age was 51.7 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 72 people (16.0%) aged under 15 years, 51 (11.3%) aged 15 to 29, 231 (51.3%) aged 30 to 64, and 99 (22.0%) aged 65 or older.
Ethnicities were 90.7% European/Pākehā, 14.7% Māori, 0.7% Pasifika, 2.0% Asian, and 4.0% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.
The percentage of people born overseas was 10.0, compared with 27.1% nationally.
Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 58.7% had no religion, 30.7% were Christian, 0.7% had Māori religious beliefs and 2.7% had other religions.
Of those at least 15 years old, 39 (10.3%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 129 (34.1%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $24,300, compared with $31,800 nationally. 42 people (11.1%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 195 (51.6%) people were employed full-time, 75 (19.8%) were part-time, and 12 (3.2%) were unemployed.[16]
Economy
The Empire Hotel
The town's economy is based around farming and forestry; a large open-cut mine operated directly adjacent to the town since 1988, and the large pit it created was filled with water in the 2000s to create Ross Lake.[17][8]
Beside Ross Lake is the Chinese Miners' Memorial Garden, created over a two-year period by the Ross volunteer group Westland Regional Environment Incorporated Society (WRENIS) led by Biddy Manera, at a cost of $180,000.[8] It includes a Chinese pavilion (liang ting) and ornamental tree planting.[21] In winter 2020 a slip in Jones Creek blocked the outlet of the lake, and the pavilion was flooded and thousands of dollars worth of trees and shrubs were killed.[8] Fully repairing the lake outlet would require a resource consent, so in the meantime WRENIS volunteers dug a small channel by hand to divert some of the flow of Jones Creek to a culvert, allowing lake levels to stabilise; work done by hand did not require a consent.[8] Their work was repeatedly vandalised, however, for months and on an almost daily basis, causing the lake to rise and drown the gardens again.[21] The Westland Regional Council, which manages waterways, was called in to support WRENIS's efforts.[22] After two rounds of public consultation involving the Department of Conservation, the Westland District Council, and the Ross Community society, all parties agreed in March 2021 to lower the lake levels and prevent future flooding, with the District Council covering the cost of the resource consent.[23]
Education
Ross School
Ross School is the sole school in the town. It is a coeducational contributing (year 1–6) primary school with a roll of 17 students as of August 2024.[24][25] The school opened in 1875[26] and celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2000.[27]
The nearest intermediate and secondary school (year 7–13) is Westland High School in Hokitika.
Transport and infrastructure
State Highway 6 passes through the town, connecting it in the north to Hokitika and south to Hari Hari and Franz Josef.
Intercity Coaches provides a bus service tor Ross with daily services to both Fox Glacier and Greymouth.[28]
A branch linerailway known as the Ross Branch was extended from Ruatapu to Ross on 1 April 1909, serving as the southern terminus of the line owned by the New Zealand Railways Department. However, a lengthy privately owned bush tramway ran south from the railway station to serve logging interests near Lake Ianthe[29] and a railway extension from Ross through the Haast Pass to connect with the Otago Central Railway was proposed in the early 20th century, but did not eventuate.[30] From the 1940s until 9 October 1962, a Vulcan railcar service operated directly from Christchurch to Ross twice a day. A lack of traffic and expensive maintenance costs meant the line was closed beyond Hokitika on 24 November 1980. Much of the old track bed between Ruatapu and Hokitika can be driven as it serves as an access road for local farmers, and a disused truss bridge still stands north of Ross.[31]
Churchman, Geoffrey B; Hurst, Tony (2001) [1990, 1991]. The Railways of New Zealand: A Journey through History (Second ed.). Transpress New Zealand. ISBN0-908876-20-3.
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