Dam the River The people and the projects that powered New Zealand

Way back in the distant past, I was working on a podcast series about hydro electric power stations in New Zealand. I did three episodes back before the baby, then there was a large gap. The fourth episode came out in 2020, but I couldn’t quite make it into an annual thing. The final episode is about Clyde Dam, and like the dam itself, this project blew through multiple deadlines (and also word limits). I even manage to shoe-horn a movie review into the middle.
If you haven’t listened to the previous episodes, this will still make sense - but if you have time, you can go back and get up to speed with the story. As mentioned, I think it’s the last episode - I’ve covered off all the major dams - but never say never. Maybe I’ll do some bonus episodes about boutique dams that didn’t make the cut.


This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jamesmacbethdann.substack.com

Episode 4 of Dam the River, looking at the development of the Manapouri Power Scheme, the Tiwai Point Aluminum Smelter, and the rise of the environmental movement in opposition to it.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jamesmacbethdann.substack.com

In Episode 3, we look at the expansion of the hydro-electric power network in the post-war period, as the growing country came to depend on electricity more and more. Workers moved into houses built by the government in specifically designed hydro towns while they constructed these dams. We cover the schemes on the Waikato, then head back to the South Island to look at Roxburgh, Benmore, Aviemore, and then finally the Cook Strait Cable that connected the two islands.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jamesmacbethdann.substack.com

Episode 2: From The Muddy Banks of the Waitaki.

In this episode we look at the expansion in hydro power projects from the end of the First World War till the end of the second. This covers Parry's North Island schemes - Mangahao, Arapuni, and Waikaremoana, a look at all the industries driving the demand for electricity, and the smaller scheme at Monowai. Finally, we talk about the mighty Waitaki, the first major run-of-river scheme, that both harnessed a huge amount of water, and unleashed a huge wave of social change.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jamesmacbethdann.substack.com

Episode 1: It's Lit.

In this series of podcasts, James Macbeth Dann looks into the history of hydro-electric power in New Zealand, how and why the dams were built, and the changes in society that led up to and resulted from these big pieces of infrastructure.

The first episode looks at the early power schemes in New Zealand, including the Bullendale Scheme in Central Otago, the first public power scheme at Reefton, the dam at Waipori, and the government's first big dam at Lake Coleridge.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jamesmacbethdann.substack.com